The transformation mechanisms of thiourea in ethylene glycol solution was systematically investigated in this report, which shows the transformation process is influenced by the anion (NO 3− , Cl − , Br − ) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Thiourea (tu) isomerizes into ammonium thiocyanate when NO 3− is present, regardless of the existence of PVP. For Cl − , thiourea coordinates with copper anion to form [Cu(tu)]Cl•1/2H 2 O complex whether PVP is present. When it comes to Br − , thiourea hydrolyzes in the cooperation of PVP or coordinates with copper anion to form [Cu(tu)Br]•1/2H 2 O complex without PVP. The different transformation routes will lead to different phase evolution of the Cu-S system. This work may provide a new understanding of the transformation of thiourea in ethylene glycol solution. The optical properties of the as-prepared copper sulfides exhibit significant stoichiometrydependent features which may have potential applications in semiconductor photovoltaic devices.