Here, we propose a metal 1T-phase incorporation strategy to dramatically enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysis in primitive 2H-MoS2 nanosheets. Electrochemical measurement results indicate the fabricated 1T@2H-MoS2/C nanosheets exhibit facile electrode kinetics, low-loss electrical transport and possess a proliferated density of catalytic active sites compared to that of 2H-MoS2. As an electrocatalyst operating at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, the fabricated 1T@2H-MoS2/C nanosheets exhibited overpotentials of 64 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4, as well as a Tafel slope of 49 mV per decade, which exceed by far the activity of previous MoS2 catalysts. This design opens up new possibilities for effective manipulation of HER catalysts in two-dimensional nanostructures.