The Yellow River Basin (YRB) is characterized by water scarcity, emphasizing the critical necessity for a comprehensive understanding of the effects of evapotranspiration (ET) on regional precipitation. Despite the vegetation greening phenomenon leading to a considerable rise in ET, uncertainties still exist regarding its effects on precipitation at the regional scale. To address this research gap, we integrated GLEAM ET and UTrack data, and found a significant increase in the ET rate of 1.06 mm/yr(2) in the YRB from 1980 to 2020. Notably, ET contributes 107 mm/yr of precipitation locally, constituting 20 % of the total, with the primary contributions coming from the upper and middle regions. Transpiration accounts for approximately 15 % of the total precipitation, underscoring the significant role played by vegetation transpiration in the YRB. Moreover, our findings indicate that ET contributes 63, 23, 20, and 20 mm/yr of precipitation to the Haihe River Basin, Yangtze Basin, Huaihe River Basin, and Songliao River Basin, respectively. Compared to 1980-1984, the increased ET led to around 11 mm/yr of additional precipitation during 2016-2020, effectively counterbalancing one-third of the ET increase observed. We further illustrated a schematic diagram depicting the water cycle in the YRB, emphasizing the reinforcement of the vertical water cycle within the basin. This study significantly advances our knowledge of hydrological processes at the basin scale, highlighting the crucial supplementary effect of ET. Such insights are instrumental in guiding scientific planning related to ecological restoration and water resource management.