Water is the most critical factor for controlling the vegetation pattern in arid and semiarid regions. Using a dye-tracing experiment, we analyzed the infiltration pattern beneath shrub canopy and interspace grass patches in typical steppe ecosystems. The dye coverage, uniform infiltration depth, maximum infiltration depth, total stained area and heterogeneous infiltration stained area were measured by two indices, the maximum infiltration depth index (MIDI) and heterogeneous infiltration index ( HII), which were calculated by processing dye-stained photos. The MIDI and HII of soil under shrubs were 1.41 ± 0.14 and 0.29 ±0. 068, respectively, and larger than those of grass soil, 1.26 ± 0.14 and 0.20 ± 0. 076. Using the MIDI, HII, field soil moisture and rainfall data, the infiltration depth and heterogeneous infiltration amount for 26 nature rainfall events were calculated. The results imply that water can infiltrate to a deeper layer beneath shrub canopy than beneath grass patches and that more water infiltration occurs beneath shrub canopy than beneath grass patches. These results are of prime importance for arid and semiarid ecosystems with a limited water supply due to high evaporation and low precipitation.