This paper puts forward two progosals concerning the classiffication of landslides by analysing most of the chronological and historical classifications of landslides which bave been used. The author suggests that all landslides can be divided into four types: new, old ancient and primitive according to the relationship between the occurrence time of the landslide and the erosion epoch of the river. The ancient landslides can be subdivided into the first-class bench landslide, the second-class bench landslide and so on according to the relationship between the occurrence time of the landslide and the erosion epoch of the bench. The primitive landslides can be subidivied into many kinds according to the relationship between the occurrence time of the landslide and the formation epoch of the denudation plane. In this author's opinion, the four types of landslides are different from each other in stability. In general, the older the landslide is, the more stable the landslide is nowadays.

The author also suggests that a slip of the orginal slope is called the first slip, and that of the slope consisting of landslide deposits is called secondsry slip. The latter can be subdivided into the second, the third and so on. On the slopes which have similar geological conditions in one area, espectally on the same slope, the scale and the velocity of the first slip are larger than those of secondary slips.

The two new classifications of landslides have benn used since 1980, proved to successful.