Abstract: Based on four basic deformation modes of retaining structures, numerical simulations and calculations are carried out on deep excavations with typical soil layer distribution in Shanghai. The results show that the maximum ground settlement has a linear relationship with the maximum lateral wall deflection in the four basic deformation modes of the retaining structures. At the same time, the settlement curve shows a normal function distribution, and normal function expressions are obtained by fitting. Then, on this basis, an estimation method is proposed based on the four basic deformation modes of the retaining structures. The feasibility and reliability of the method is verified by two engineering examples and it proves to be a practical method for estimating ground settlement aroused by deep excavation.