The interaction of East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) members constitutes the “the coupling wheels” pattern for the circulations over the upper and lower layers of EASM. In this paper, the variation, mechanisms, temporal and spatial stability of the coupling wheels as well as their impacts on abnormal precipitation over China in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) region are diagnosed and analyzed using Multi-Variable Empirical Orthogonal Function (MV-EOF). On the basis of the above work, conceptual models are constructed for typical coupling wheels in the EASM and their impacts on summer rainfall. Our results show the coupling wheels are manifested in interannual variation (with the period of about 2-6 years) and forced by vertical temperature and pressure fields as well as the large terrain of the Tibet Plateau. The first two modes of the coupling wheels are stable and reflect typical linkages between the EASM members. In the first mode, the Northern Cyclone (NC), the South Asian high (SAH) and the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) are the major coupling components. As a barotropic system, the NC couples with the SAH through westerly winds on its southern side, while the SAH interacts with the WPSH by divergent descending air flow in the eastern part of middle-latitude area. When this mode enhances, summer rainfall distribution in China shows a pattern of “＋－＋－” from north to south. The second mode mainly reflects the coupling characteristics of the mid- and high-latitude cyclones, the East Asian subtropical westerly jet (EASWJ), the SAH, the Northwest Pacific anticyclone (NPA) and the WPSH. As barotropic systems, the mid- and high-latitude cyclones and NPA are linked by southeasterly winds. In addition, the cyclones are coupled with the SAH and the EASWJ through westerly winds on the southern side of the cyclones in upper layers. While the intensity and area of the WPSH are affected by easterly winds on the southern side of the NAP in lower layers. Enhancement of this coupling mode is favorable for more precipitation over areas to the north of the Yellow River and the HETAO region, but less rainfall would occur to the south of the Yellow River.