Human capital, as one of the important factors for firms to gain competitive advantage, can have a significant impact on the behaviour of firms. A sample of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2009 to 2020 is used to explore the impact of human capital and senior human capital structure on corporate cash dividend distribution. It is found that human capital investment and advanced human capital structure significantly reduce corporate cash dividend distribution. The findings still hold after a series of robustness tests. Further analysis reveals that cash dividends are distributed less frequently or are less likely to be distributed by firms that are more human capital intensive, and that both the financing constraint and the amendments to AS 9 - Employee Compensation reinforce the negative relationship between human capital and senior human capital structure and cash dividend distribution. By combining labor economics theory with corporate finance, the mystery of the "low dividend" phenomenon of Chinese enterprises is discovered from the "positive" perspective of human capital.