Abstract With different histories of evolution, the sedimentary basins in east China may mainly be classified into two categories: depressions and faulted depressions, in which there are three types of subtle traps—lithologic traps, stratigraphic traps, and paleogeomorphologic traps. Subtle traps in depressions, consisting mainly of lithologic traps like sandstone lenses, are controlled by the zone of discrete distribution of large deltaic sandstone bodies. Subtle traps in faulted depressions, consisting mainly of buried-hill traps and lithologic and stratigraphic traps like turbidity sandstones and granular limestones are controlled by the structural pattern of the wedge-shaped depressions and the sedimentary facies.