A n-butanol-soluble fraction of an ethanolic extract from the roots of Symplocos chinensis showed cytotoxic activity against several cancer cell lines. Bioassay-guided purification led to the isolation and characterization of eight new triterpenoidsaponins, symplocososides L-S (1-8). The structures of 1-8 were elucidated as glycosides based on oxygenated aglycons by spectroscopic and chemical methods