Mid-infrared (MIR) nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal can output MIR lasers efficiently through the typical frequency conversion technology. It is an important part of MIR laser and has been widely used in the military and civil fields. At present, most of the mid-infrared nonlinear optical materials with practical application prospects belong to tetrahedron-based chalcogenides whose structural framework is composed of tetrahedral units. This review summarizes the structure-performance relationship in MIR NLO tetrahedron-based chalcogenides by analyzing crystal structure, optical property and theoretical calculation of 21 representative tetrahedron-based chalcogenides compounds, which will be of great importance for the exploration of novel MIR NLO crystals.