Since the formation of competency theory in 1970s, this theory has greatly promoted the development of human resource management theory and practice. Based on the literature retrieval of CNKI and with the help of the visual analysis tool of CNKI, this study organizes, summarizes and analyzes the track, characteristics, current situation and trend of competency research. It is found that since the beginning of this century, especially in 2010, the research results of competency have been on the trend of blowout, the number of research results has increased linearly, the research field has gradually expanded, and the research methods have become more rich and varied. The basic research on the concept, characteristics, structure and role of competency has been basically completed, and the construction of competency models for different industries and posts has also made great progress. The relationship between competency and related factors has gradually entered the researchers' vision. At present, researchers have strong interests in the relationship between competency and its pre and post factors, as well as its mechanism. At the same time, the vision of competency research has gradually expanded from employees to groups, organizations, enterprises and even national global talent cultivation. However, when competency research is in the ascendant, some scholars have pointed out the limitations of competency on performance prediction through empirical research, calling for a higher level of interpretation of human resource management theory.