The Zn atom in dichloro[(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane]zinc(II), [ZnCl2(C11H16N4)], (I), is tetrahedrally coordinated by two N atoms from one bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand and two terminal Cl atoms. The molecule has no crystallographic symmetry. One H atom of the CH2 group of the bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand interacts with a Cl atom of an adjacent molecule to yield intermolecular C-H...Cl contacts, thereby forming a one-dimensional zigzag chain extending along the b axis. On the other hand, in di-mu-chloro-bis{chloro[(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methane]cadmium(II)}, [Cd2Cl4(C11H16N4)2], (II), each of the two crystallographically equivalent Cd atoms is pentacoordinated by two N atoms from one bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand, and by one terminal and two bridging Cl- anions. The molecule has a crystallographic centre of symmetry located at the mid-point of the Cd...Cd line. One H atom of the CH2 group of the bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)methane ligand interacts with a Cl atom of an adjacent molecule to produce pairwise intermolecular C-H...Cl contacts, thereby affording chains of molecules running along the c axis.