The liver depends on two mechanisms—hepatocyte self-renewal and proliferation and differentiation of the hepatic oval cells (HOCs) to obtain the repair of liver injury. HOCs are a group of hepatic stem cells with multipotent differentiation potential, and play an important role in liver regeneration. The regeneration ability of the hepatocytes in the cirrhotic liver is low, and HOCs participate in the repair and reconstruction of liver damage. The activation, proliferation and differentiation of HOCs are closely associated with the liver cirrhosis microenvironment. So, the in-depth study on the mechanism of the HOCs-mediated liver regeneration in liver cirrhosis and their advantages in cell transplantation in liver cirrhosis will provide a new strategy for the treatment of end-stage liver cirrhosis. Here, the authors address the general features of the HOCs and the research progress regarding such as their function in the liver cirrhosis microenvironment and the regulation of the liver cirrhosis microenvironment in HOCs-mediated liver regeneration.