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Hundreds of precipitation samples collected from meteorological stations in the Ordos Basin from January 1988 to December 2005 were used to set up a local meteoric water line and to calculate weighted average isotopic compositions of modern precipitation. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, with averages of -7.8 parts per thousand and -53.0 parts per thousand for delta(18)O and delta D, respectively, are depleted in winter and rich in spring, and gradually decrease in summer and fall, illustrating that the seasonal effect is considerable. They also show that the isotopic difference between south portion and north portion of the Ordos Basin are not obvious, and the isotope in the middle portion is normally depleted. The isotope compositions of 32 samples collected from shallow groundwater (less than a depth of 150 m) in desert plateau range from -10.6 parts per thousand to -6.0 parts per thousand with an average of -8.4 parts per thousand for delta(18)O and from -85 parts per thousand to -46 parts per thousand with an average of -63 parts per thousand for delta D. Most of them are identical with modern precipitation. The isotope compositions of 22 middle and deep groundwaters (greater than a depth of 275 m) fall in ranges from -11.6 parts per thousand to -8.8 parts per thousand with an average of -10.2 parts per thousand for delta(18)O and from -89 parts per thousand to -63 parts per thousand with an average of -76 parts per thousand for delta D. The average values are significantly less than those of modern precipitation, illustrating that the middle and deep groundwaters were recharged at comparatively lower air temperatures. Primary analysis of (14)C shows that the recharge of the middle and deep groundwaters started at late Pleistocene. The isotopes of 13 lake water samples collected from eight lakes define a local evaporation trend, with a relatively flat slope of 3.77, and show that the lake waters were mainly fed by modern precipitation and shallow groundwater.