The rapid development of network technology,human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence has given birth to the metaverse and further promoted the digital transformation of all aspects of people's life.The concept of metaverse emerged in 2021,and has attracted extensive attention from industry,academia,media and the public.This paper attempts to deeply analyze the metaverse from the perspective of technology and application.First,the concept and connotation of the metaverse are elaborated from the definition,origin & development,characteristics and key technologies (network and computing,Internet of Things,human-computer interaction,electronic game,block chain,digital twin,etc.).Then,the enterprises and application examples involved in the metaverse are discussed.Finally,the existing challenges and opportunities in the development of the metaverse are analyzed,and the future researches and applications are prospected.Through the meta-analysis of the current development status and research trend of the metaverse and the scientific evaluation of the potential application of the metaverse,we can provide useful reference for the researchers of the metaverse.