Objective To explore the influence of trait curiosity on subjective well-being (SWB) of retired PLA military cadres. Methods A total of 73 retired military cadres were recruited for this study. Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH) was employed to examine the SWB of the participants. Curiosity and Exploration InventoryⅡ (CEI-Ⅱ) was used to measure the trait curiosity, including stretching and embracing. Hierarchical regression was used for data analysis. Results (1) After controlling the self-reported health, the use of trait curiosity significantly improved the explained variance in SWB (ΔR²=0.07, F=3.26, P<0.05). (2) Trait curiosity facets were significant in predicting SWB, but their directions were opposite:stretching positively predicted SWB (β=0.39, P<0.05) and embracing negatively predicted SWB(β=-0.32, P<0.05). Conclusion Trait curiosity is an important factor of the SWB of retired military cadres in Chinese army, with stretching and embracing playing different roles, with higher stretching score associated with higher degree of SWB and higher embracing score associated with lower degree of SWB.