<p>Social networks are vital for building the livelihood resilience of rural households. However, the impact of social networks on rural household livelihood resilience remains empirically underexplored, and most existing studies do not disaggregate social networks into different dimensions, which limits the understanding of specific mechanisms. Based on 895 household samples collected in China’s Dabie Mountains and structural equation modeling, this paper explored the pathway to enhance livelihood resilience through social networks by disaggregating it into five dimensions: network size, interaction intensity, social cohesion, social support, and social learning. The results indicate that: (1) Livelihood assets, adaptive capacity and safety nets significantly contribute to livelihood resilience, whereas sensitivity negatively affects it. Accessibility to basic services has no significant relationship with livelihood resilience in the study area. (2) Social networks and their five dimensions positively impact livelihood resilience, with network support having the greatest impact. Therefore, both the government and rural households should recognize and enhance the role of social networks in improving livelihood resilience under frequent disturbances. These findings have valuable implications for mitigating the risks of poverty recurrence and contributing to rural revitalization.</p>