In order to characterize the distribution law of active earth pressure with depth for a circular platform foundation pit under transient infiltrations, this study derived the slip line equation for the active earth pressure of circular platform foundation pits. The derivation was based on the strength equation of generalized effective stress for unsaturated soils and matric suction under transient infiltration conditions. Subsequently, the differential iterative method was adopted to obtain the slip line solution of active earth pressure for circular platform foundation pits under transient infiltrations. Last, the accuracy of the obtained slip line solution was verified, and an influencing factor analysis was conducted. The results indicate that the obtained slip line solution, compared with the existing solutions, can reasonably account for comprehen-sive influences of transient infiltration（time, infiltration ratio, nonlinear profiles of suction stress）, soil types（sand, silt, clay）, foundation pit model parameters（wall dip angle, wall-soil friction angle）, and the circumferential stress coefficient on the active earth pressure of foundation pits. The accuracy of the obtained slip line solution of active earth pressure under specific reduced conditions is demonstrated by comparing it with the slip line solution of circular platform foundation pits in saturated soils（when suction stress is zero）, and the limit equilibrium solution of plane retaining walls under transient infiltrations（when the radius of foundation pit tends to infinity）reported in the literature. The influence of time and infiltration ratio on the value and distribution of active earth pressure is most pronounced for foundation pits in clay, followed by foundation pits in silt. However, it is negligible for foundation pits in sand, which is caused by nonlinear profiles of suction stress for different soils. The active earth pressure of foundation pits decreases significantly with the increase of wall dip angle, wall-soil friction angle and circumferential stress coefficient, while its distribution and change with depth are closely related to soil types.