Liver fibrosis is a key pathological process in a variety of chronic liver diseases, and it may progress to liver cirrhosis, even liver cancer if not inhibited or reversed. The activation of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) is a key in the process of hepatic fibrosis, and it is related to lipid metabolism. Metabolism change of many kinds of lipids in liver regulates the metabolic microenvironment by affecting cellular energy metabolism, and extracellular matrix synthesis, etc., thereby promoting the activation of HSC and liver fibrosis. This article reviewed the pathways (lipid metabolism, sterol metabolism and phospholipid metabolism), by which metabolism change of lipids in liver activates HSC, and the relationship between lipid metabolism change and liver fibrosis, providing a new perspective for preventing and reversing liver fibrosis through the signal pathway of lipid metabolism.