As some of the oldest recognized alkaline rocks, lamprophyres have been widely studied by geologists for hosting economic minerals such as gold, diamond. They are also significant in our understanding of the deepmantle geodynamic processes. However, there are different understandings about the petrogenesis of lamprophyres. We summarized the research results of lamprophyres in recent decades as well as compiled a detailed overview of their classification, characteristics and petrogenesis in this paper. Lamprophyres can be divided into ultramafic lamprophyres, calc alkaline lamprophyres and alkaline lamprophyres according to the classification criteria from International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). Ultramafic lamprophyres are often the products of magmatism in an extension setting, which are associated with kimberlite and carbonatite. Calcalkaline lamprophyres usually present in convergent and passive continental margin settings, and with several mechanisms of petrogenesis (eg. differentiation of basic magma, magma mixing and lowdegree partial melting of metasomatized mantle). Alkaline lamprophyres are usually closely related to alkaline basaltic magmatism from the divergent margins and intraplate tectonic settings. Regardless of the environmentand formation process of the rocks, these three types of lamprophyres are generally considered to be derived from a mantle source that has undergone metasomatic enrichment. Finally, we highlight some scientific problems in the study of lamprophyres, such as the influence of mineral phases (phlogopite and amphibole) in the enriched mantle source on the generation of sodic or potassic lamprophyric magma, the controlling factors in the formation of hydrous mineral phenocrysts, and the genesis of carbonaterich “ocellar” texture and albite in the lamprophyres.