Abstract: Against the backdrop of accelerated global green and low-carbon transformation and strengthened national resource security strategies, concepts such as critical minerals, strategic minerals, transition minerals, and green minerals have emerged as one of the central topics in geoscience and related industries in recent years. Due to differences in their conceptual backgrounds and focal points, these terms often face confusion and misuse in practice. Through literature review and comparative analysis, this study systematically clarifies the theoretical boundaries and practical value of these four mineral categories——from core definitions and shared characteristics to fundamental distinctions, intrinsic connections, and integration trends——aiming to provide scientific foundations for mineral resource planning, policy formulation, and industrial development. The research findings indicate that while interconnected, these concepts operate within distinct evaluation frameworks: strategic minerals represent the overarching framework for national macro-strategic security, encompassing the broadest scope with both holistic significance and foundational importance. Critical minerals focus on supply chain security, identifying irreplaceable resources with high supply risks. Transition minerals constitute essential material foundations supporting clean energy transitions. Green minerals embody comprehensive development standards and sustainable models spanning the entire resource lifecycle, combining “green processes” and “green applications” while interacting synergistically with the other three categories. Collectively, they form a nested, dynamically integrated relationship where strategic minerals establish the overarching framework, critical and transition minerals serve as core subsets, and green minerals define universal development benchmarks. In the context of globalization, green minerals and transition minerals emphasize global cooperation, whereas critical minerals and strategic minerals place greater emphasis on national security and strategic competition, reflecting distinct orientations. Future mineral resource development and management will exhibit a deep integration trend characterized by “greenification, strategicization, criticality and transformation”. In practice, efforts should prioritize ensuring national security through strategic minerals; focus on supporting industrial upgrading and energy transition with critical and transition minerals; standardize the entire resource development process using green mineral standards; and promote high-quality, sustainable utilization of mineral resources to support both carbon neutrality goals and national resource security.