Gang of Four

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. Cf. Cultural Revolution, Red Guard.

[trans. of Chin sìrén bang]

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Gang of Four noun

1. A term applied to a group of four of Chairman Mao's leading advisers after their political downfall

2. (also without caps; sometimes facetious) any similar group in politics, etc

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Main Entry: ↑gang

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gang of four,

a faction of the Chinese Communist party, that tried to gain control of government after the death of Mao Tse-tung.

╂[in reference to Chiang Ching and three of her allies]

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(in China) a group of four associates, including Mao Zedong's wife, involved in implementing the Cultural Revolution. They were among the groups competing for power on Mao's death in 1976, but were arrested and imprisoned