Gang of Four

American  

noun

1. a group of four radical members of the Chinese Communist Party who were leaders of the Cultural Revolution and who were purged and imprisoned after the death of Mao Zedong: Jiang Qing (widow of Mao), Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan, and Zhang Chunqiao.

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Gang of Four British  

noun

1. a radical faction within the Chinese Communist Party that emerged as a political force in the spring of 1976 and was suppressed later that year. Its members, Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan, and Jiang Qing, were tried and imprisoned (1981)

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Gang of Four Cultural  

1. Four Chinese political leaders of the twentieth century who were closely associated with Mao Zedong (one of the four was his wife). They were denounced when moderates came to power in China in 1976 and were convicted in 1981 of committing crimes, such as torture, during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.

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Etymology

Origin of Gang of Four

Translation of Chinese sìrén bāng

Example Sentences

Following Zhou’s death in January 1976, the Gang of Four managed to oust Deng Xiaoping from power once more, but this time he did not remain away for long.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

He received a request in 1980 to act as a defense lawyer for the Gang of Four and other former officials facing trial over their role in the extremes of the Cultural Revolution.

From New York Times • Jul. 4, 2022

The Chinese media kept on publishing those funeral photos, but with Jiang and her allies — now labeled the "Gang of Four" — airbrushed out.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2022

Following Mao’s death a few months later, the ruling Gang of Four tried to play down the catastrophe for political purposes.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2021

The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2020