A general and template-free 'disproportionation and reversal' route was developed to synthesize one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures of Te, Se and Se–Te alloys directly from Te or/and Se powders. The products were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Te nanorods and nanowires with a width varying from about 40 nm to about 300 nm, Se nanowires with a width of 60–100 nm and a length of 4–6 µm, and Se_xTe_100−x alloy nanorods with x in a wide range, and with a width of 30–70 nm and an aspect ratio of three to five, were prepared. The mechanism of formation of the nanorods and nanowires and the effects of the experimental conditions, such as solution concentration, cooling rate, solvent nature and heating process, on the morphology and size of the products have been discussed. We believe that this general route and some other proper reversible processes between solid state and solution state can be extended to the transformations from various bulk materials into nanosized materials with various morphologies.