The Changjiang， Huanghe， Zhujiang and Heilongjiang are the four largest rivers in China and they transport large amount of fresh water and terrigenous materials， including both inorganic and organic carbon into the ocean. The sources of the terrestrial carbon transported in the four rivers， however， have not been well constrained and compared. In this study， we used carbon isotopes （¹³C and ¹⁴C） combined with concentration measurements to investigate and compare the sources and fluxes of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon （DIC）， Particulate Inorganic Carbon （PIC）， Dissolved Organic Carbon （DOC） and Particulate Organic Carbon （POC） in the four rivers. The contributions of the potential sources to both DIC and DOC were quantitatively calculated using a dual isotope and three end member model. The results showed that the concentrations and isotope characteristics of the carbon pools in the river depended largely on the geological setting， surrounding environment and the anthropogenic influence of the drainage basins. Compared with other large rivers in the world， the concentrations of DIC in the Changjiang， Huanghe and Zhujiang were higher， but the DIC fluxes in the Huanghe and Zhujiang were lower. The DOC concentrations in the Heilongjiang River were higher and lower in the other three rivers compared with the average value of the world largest 25 rivers. The Changjiang， Huanghe and Zhujiang all transport millennia aged carbon. The old riverine DIC reflects the influence of chemical weathering of carbonate rocks and the old DOC reflects influence mainly from pre-aged soil OC. These ancient terrestrial carbon discharged by the rivers could have significant effects on the carbon cycle and ecosystems in the China's marginal seas.