The genus and its type species Zizhongosaurus chuanchengensis were named in 1983 by Dong Zhiming, in a volume written by himself, Zhou Shiwu, and Zhang Yihong. The generic name is derived from Zizhong County in Sichuan Province. The specific name refers to the town of Chuancheng.^[1]

The type specimens consist of three syntypes: V9067.1 is a partial dorsal vertebra; V9067.2 is a humerus or upper arm; and V9067.3 is a pubis. All specimens likely were part of a single skeleton, collected from the Ziliujing Formation. Zizhongosaurus was described as a small species.^[1]

In 1999 Li Kui mentioned a second species: Zizhongosaurus huangshibanensis^[2] but this has remained an undescribed nomen nudum.

Zizhongosaurus was originally assigned to the Cetiosaurinae but later authors have placed it in either the Vulcanodontidae, as a relative of Barapasaurus, or the Shunosaurinae. It is today often considered a nomen dubium.^{[citation needed]}