The cascade [1,n]-hydrogen transfer/cyclization, recognized one century ago, has received considerable interest in recent decades and great achievements have been made. This cascade process can functionalize CA C H T U N G T R E N N U N G (sp 3 ) À H bonds directly into C À C, C À N, C À O bonds under the catalysis by Lewis acids, Brønsted acids or organocatalysts, and even under thermal conditions. This methodology has shown preeminent power to construct 5-or 6-membered heterocyclic as well as all-carbon rings. In this review, various hydrogen donors and hydrogen acceptors are categorized and discussed.