A number of catena-mu-linkage modes have been observed for the p-xylylenediamine (p-xda) and Ni(CN)4 linking octahedral Cd atoms in the X-ray single crystal structures of five inclusion compounds with aromatic guests and a three-dimensional (3D) complex salt : [Cd(p-xda)Ni(CN)(4)]. o-CH3C6H4NH2 (1), [Cd(p-xda)(2)Ni(CN)(4)]. m-CH3C6H4NH2 (2), [Cd(p-xda)(2)Ni(CN)(4)]. C6H5OH . H2O (3a), [Cd(p-xda)(2)Ni(CN)(4)]. C9H7N (3b), [Cd-2(p-xda)(3){Ni(CN)(4)}(2)]. 2C(4)H(5)N (4), and [Cd(C6H5NH2)(p-xda)Ni(CN)(4)] (5). Clathrate 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group , with a = 6.960(2) Angstrom, b = 7.718(2) Angstrom, c = 9.693(2) Angstrom, alpha = 90.61(2)degrees, beta = 91.72(2)degrees, gamma = 90.17(2)degrees, Z = 1, and R = 0.0298 for 2751 reflections; clathrate 2 crystallizes in the triclinic system, , with a = 8.149(2) Angstrom, b = 9.577(1) Angstrom, c = 9.865(2) Angstrom, alpha = 81.03(1)degrees,beta = 94.08(2)degrees, gamma = 106.08(1)degrees, Z = 1, and R = 0.0490 for 3285 reflections; clathrate 3a crystallizes in the monoclinic system, P2(1)/m, with a = 8.615(3) Angstrom, b = 17.568(2) Angstrom, c = 9.950(2) Angstrom, beta = 105.30(2)degrees, Z = 2, and R = 0.0519 for 2792 reflections; clathrate 3b crystallizes in the monoclinic system, P2(1)/m, with a = 8.505(1) Angstrom, b = 17.737(1) Angstrom, c = 10.106(1) Angstrom, beta = 102.64(1)degrees, Z = 2, and R = 0.0422 for 3480 reflections; clathrate 4 crystallize in the monoclinic system, C2/c, with a = 19.820(2) Angstrom, b = 7.738(2) Angstrom, c = 31.213(1) Angstrom, beta = 109.138(5), Z = 4, and R = 0.0480 for 4092 reflections; complex 5 crystallize in the monoclinic system, C2/c, with a = 22.240(1) Angstrom, b = 9.254(1) Angstrom, c = 16.241(1) Angstrom, beta = 130.668(3)degrees, Z = 4, and R = 0.0389 for 2810 reflections. The puckered two-dimensional (2D) network of [CdNi(CN)(4)](infinity) in 1 is successively spanned by p-xda at every Cd atom to form a 3D host for the o-toluidine. The 2D network in 2 is broken at a couple of CN groups in trans positions of each Ni(CN)(4); instead, the bridge of p-xda is doubled to span the Cd atoms in the host accommodating m-toluidine. The breaking is at cis positions in the hosts of 3a and 3b, enclathrating hydrated phenol and quinoline, respectively. The complicated 3D host structure of pyrrole clathrate 4 is constructed of three single spans of p-xda from one Cd to three other Cd atoms, the respective Cd atoms being interconnected by cis-[-NC-Ni(CN)(2)-CN-] and four-handed Ni(CN)(4) moieties. The bis(aniline)ligated Cd complex 5 has a 3D structure built from the -[Cd-p-xda-]infinity and -[(cis-)NC-Ni(CN)(2)-CN-Cd-]infinity catenations. These structural variations are interpreted in terms of rigidity of p-xda and Ni(CN)(4) skeletons, partial flexibility of the -CH2NH2 substituents in p-xda, flexible utilization of N-ends of Ni(CN)(4) in the catenation, hydrogen bond interactions among the host entities, and host-guest interactions through hydrogen bonds; no strong pi-pi interactions were observed between the guest and the pi-rich host entities.