The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among Chinese paternalistic leadership, emotional impression and athletic burnout in high school division I athletes. This study sampled 201 high school athletes (males=115; females=86) with mean age of 16.02(SD= ± 1.73) and administered a paternalistic leadership scale, an emotional impression scale and an athlete burnout inventory. It was found that authoritarian leadership was positively correlated with the negative impression of emotions and athletic burnout, while moral and benevolent leadership was negatively correlated with athletic burnout. Also, the positive impression of emotions was negatively correlated with athletic burnout, while the negative impression of emotions was positively correlated with athletic burnout. Furthermore, the negative impression of emotions, benevolent leadership and positive impression of emotions predicted athletic burnout. The author suggested that further research adopt the qualitative approach to examine the relationship between paternalistic leadership and the athletic emotional state.