Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A leftist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials that came to prominence during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
  • noun pejorative Any group people (usually four) who are working together towards a common goal and whose behaviour is under suspicion.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Mandarin 四人幫 / 四人帮 (Sìrén bāng)

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Examples

  • On one side, within the leadership of the Communist Party of China, were the self-indulgent, revolutionary fanatics called the Gang of Four, led by Mao Zedong's wife, Jiang Qing.

    A Shock to the System Michael Fathers 2012

  • Deng crushed die-hard Maoists known as the Gang of Four and restored order.

    Eric Margolis: Remembering China's Great Helmsman 2009

  • Former Secretaries of State George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of Defense William Perry, and former Senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), sometimes referred to as the Gang of Four, joined to write two op-eds in The Wall Street Journal in 2007 and 2008 calling for steps toward a nuclear weapons-free world.

    Arms Control Association - The authoritative source on arms control since 1971. 2009

  • Not above the sensibilities of the commerce-driven 21st century, Gang of Four reunited with a new rhythm section and is releasing a steely new album this week.

    Melting With Winter's Melodies Andy Beta 2011

  • They laid wreathes and waved banners praising Zhou Enlai, indirectly—and sometimes directly—criticizing the Gang of Four and even Mao Zedong.

    A Shock to the System Michael Fathers 2012

  • Twenty years ago, the Gang of Four were four completely different companies.

    In a Few Words, Growth 2011

  • MR. COSTOLO: I'm pretty sure the reason for that is because Gang of Four is a thing and Gang of Five doesn't make any sense.

    In a Few Words, Growth 2011

  • Brusque Marxist punks in the age of Thatcher, England's Gang of Four released a classic album entitled "Entertainment!" in the fall of 1979.

    Melting With Winter's Melodies Andy Beta 2011

  • This was before she and I and two other writers formed our own little poetry group quietly called the Gang of Four.

    Poetry Whores Jerry Ratch 2011

  • It was the death of Chairman Mao in September 1976, and the subsequent arrest and imprisonment of the Gang of Four, that sealed the end of China's violent revolutionary upheavals.

    A Shock to the System Michael Fathers 2012

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