- 四大皆空 sìdàjiēkōng detachedto be completely free from all worldly desires and emotional attachments; viewing the material world as an illusion
- 四大金刚 sìdàjīngāng Four Heavenly Kingsthe four Buddhist guardian deities who protect the four cardinal directions; figuratively refers to four powerful or influential people in a group
- 四大石窟 sìdàshíkū four great grottoesThe four great Buddhist grottoes of China: Longmen Grottoes at Luoyang, Yungang Caves at Datong, Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, and Mt Maiji Caves at Tianshui.
- 唐初四大家 Tángchū Sì Dàjiā early Tang calligraphersThe four great calligraphers of the early Tang Dynasty: Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, and Xue Ji.
- 四大佛教名山 Sìdà Fójiào Míngshān Four Sacred MountainsThe Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism: Mt. Wutai (Shanxi), Mt. Emei (Sichuan), Mt. Jiuhua (Anhui), and Mt. Putuo (Zhejiang)
- 四大发明 sìdàfāmíng four great inventionsthe four great Chinese inventions: paper, printing, magnetic compass and gunpowder
- 四大名著 sìdàmíngzhù Four Classic Novelsthe Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature, namely: A Dream of Red Mansions, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, and Journey to the West
- 四大天王 sìdàtiānwáng four heavenly kingsthe four Buddhist guardian deities who watch over the cardinal directions and protect the Buddha
- 四大盆地 sìdàpéndì four great basinsThe four great basin depressions of China: the Tarim Basin, the Junggar Basin, the Qaidam Basin, and the Sichuan Basin.
- 四大美女 sìdàměinǚ Four Great BeautiesThe four legendary beauties of ancient China: Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diao Chan, and Yang Yuhuan.
- 四大须生 sìdàxūshēng Peking opera mastersThe four great old-man (sheng) role actors of Beijing opera: Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Yang Baosen, and Xi Xiaobo
- 宋四大书 Sòngsìdàshū Four Great CompilationsThe four great compilations of the Northern Song dynasty: Extensive Records of the Taiping Era, Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era, Prime Tortoise of the Record Bureau, and Finest Blossoms in the Garden of Literature.
- 杂剧四大家 Zájù Sì Dàjiā Four Great DramatistsFour Great Yuan Dramatists, namely: Guan Hanqing, Zheng Guangzu, Ma Zhiyuan, and Bai Pu
- 元曲四大家 Yuánqǔ Sì Dàjiā Four Great Yuan DramatistsThe Four Great Yuan Dramatists, namely: Guan Hanqing, Zheng Guangzu, Ma Zhiyuan, and Bai Pu.
- 江南四大才子 Jiāngnánsìdàcáizǐ four Ming talentsthe four great southern talents of the Ming dynasty, namely: Tang Bohu, Zhu Zhishan, Wen Zhengming, and Xu Zhenqing
- 元诗四大家 Yuánshīsìdàjiā four Yuan mastersThe four masters of Yuan poetry: Yu Ji, Fan Peng, Yang Zai, and Jie Xisi.
- 六朝四大家 Liù Cháo Sì Dàjiā four great paintersFour Great Painters of the Six Dynasties, namely: Cao Buxing [[曹不兴|曹不興|Cao2 Bu4 xing1]], Gu Kaizhi [[顾恺之|顧愷之|Gu4 Kai3 zhi1]], Lu Tanwei [[陆探微|陸探微|Lu4 Tan4 wei1]] and Zhang Sengyou [[张僧繇|張僧繇|Zhang1 Seng1 you2]]
- 北宋四大部书 Běi Sòngsìdàbùshū Four Great CompilationsFour great compilations of Northern Song dynasty, namely: Extensive records of the Taiping era (978), Imperial readings of the Taiping era, Prime tortoise of the record bureau, and Finest blossoms in the garden of literature.