Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language
(Adopted at the 18th Meeting of Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress on October 31, 2000)
| | 中华人民共和国主席令
（第三十七号）
《中华人民共和国国家通用语言文字法》已由中华人民共和国第九届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第十八次会议于２０００年１０月３１日通过，现予公布，自２００１年１月１日起施行。
中华人民共和国主席 江泽民
二０００年十月三十一日
中华人民共和国国家通用语言文字法
（２０００年１０月３１日第九届全国人民代表大会常务委员会第十八次会议通过）
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Contents
| | 目录
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Chapter I General Provisions
| | 第一章 总则
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Chapter II Use of the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language
| | 第二章 国家通用语言文字的使用
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Chapter III Administration and Supervision
| | 第三章 管理和监督
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Chapter IV Supplementary Provisions
| | 第四章 附则
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Chapter I General Provisions
| | 第一章 总则
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Article 1 This Law is enacted in accordance with the Constitution for the purpose of promoting the normalization and standardization of the standard spoken and written Chinese language and its sound development, making it play a better role in public activities, and promoting economic and cultural exchange among all the Chinese nationalities and regions.
| | 第一条 为推动国家通用语言文字的规范化、标准化及其健康发展，使国家通用语言文字在社会生活中更好地发挥作用，促进各民族、各地区经济文化交流，根据宪法，制定本法。
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Article 2 For purposes of this Law, the standard spoken and written Chinese language means Putonghua (a common speech with pronunciation based on the Beijing dialect) and the standardized Chinese characters.
| | 第二条 本法所称的国家通用语言文字是普通话和规范汉字。
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Article 3 The State popularizes Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters.
| | 第三条 国家推广普通话，推行规范汉字。
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Article 4 All citizens shall have the right to learn and use the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
The State provides citizens with the conditions for learning and using the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
Local people's governments at various levels and the relevant departments under them shall take measures to popularize Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters.
| | 第四条 公民有学习和使用国家通用语言文字的权利。
国家为公民学习和使用国家通用语言文字提供条件。
地方各级人民政府及其有关部门应当采取措施，推广普通话和推行规范汉字。
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Article 5 The standard spoken and written Chinese language shall be used in such a way as to be conducive to the upholding of state sovereignty and national dignity, to unification of the country and unity of the nationalities, and to socialist material progress and ethical progress.
| | 第五条 国家通用语言文字的使用应当有利于维护国家主权和民族尊严，有利于国家统一和民族团结，有利于社会主义物质文明建设和精神文明建设。
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Article 6 The State promulgates standard norms of the spoken and written Chinese language, administers its use in the community, supports the teaching of and scientific research in the language in order to promote its normalization, enrichment and development.
| | 第六条 国家颁布国家通用语言文字的规范和标准，管理国家通用语言文字的社会应用，支持国家通用语言文字的教学和科学研究，促进国家通用语言文字的规范、丰富和发展。
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Article 7 The State rewards the organizations and individuals that have made outstanding contribution in the field the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
| | 第七条 国家奖励为国家通用语言文字事业做出突出贡献的组织和个人。
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Article 8 All the nationalities shall have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages.
The spoken and written languages of the ethnic peoples shall be used in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution, the Law on Regional National Autonomy and other laws.
| | 第八条 各民族都有使用和发展自己的语言文字的自由。
少数民族语言文字的使用依据宪法、民族区域自治法及其他法律的有关规定。
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Chapter II Use of the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language
| | 第二章 国家通用语言文字的使用
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Article 9 Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters shall be used by State organs as the official language, except where otherwise provided for in laws.
| | 第九条 国家机关以普通话和规范汉字为公务用语用字。法律另有规定的除外。
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Article 10 Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters shall be used as the basic language in education and teaching in schools and other institutions of education, except where otherwise provided for in laws.
Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters shall be taught in schools and other institutions of education by means of the Chinese course. The Chinese textbooks used shall be in conformity with the norms of the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
| | 第十条 学校及其他教育机构以普通话和规范汉字为基本的教育教学用语用字。法律另有规定的除外。
学校及其他教育机构通过汉语文课程教授普通话和规范汉字。使用的汉语文教材，应当符合国家通用语言文字的规范和标准。
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Article 11 Publications in Chinese shall be in conformity with the norms of the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
Where foreign languages need to be used in publications in Chinese, necessary explanatory notes in standard Chinese shall be applied.
| | 第十一条 汉语文出版物应当符合国家通用语言文字的规范和标准。
汉语文出版物中需要使用外国语言文字的，应当用国家通用语言文字作必要的注释。
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Article 12 Putonghua shall be used by the broadcasting and TV stations as the basic broadcasting language.
Where foreign languages need to be used as the broadcasting languages, the matter shall be subject to approval by the broadcasting and television administration under the State Council.
| | 第十二条 广播电台、电视台以普通话为基本的播音用语。
需要使用外国语言为播音用语的，须经国务院广播电视部门批准。
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Article 13 The standardized Chinese characters shall be used as the basic characters in the service trade. Where both a foreign language and the Chinese language are used in signboards, advertisements, bulletins, signs, etc., as is needed by the trade, the standardized Chinese characters shall be used as far as the Chinese Language is concerned.
People working in the service trade are encouraged to use Putonghua when providing services.
| | 第十三条 公共服务行业以规范汉字为基本的服务用字。因公共服务需要，招牌、广告、告示、标志牌等使用外国文字并同时使用中文的，应当使用规范汉字。
提倡公共服务行业以普通话为服务用语。
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Article 14 The standard spoken and written Chinese language shall be used as the basic spoken and written language in the following circumstances:
| | 第十四条 下列情形，应当以国家通用语言文字为基本的用语用字：
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(1) spoken and written language for broadcasting, films and TV programs;
| | （一）广播、电影、电视用语用字；
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(2) written language for the facilities in public places;
| | （二）公共场所的设施用字；
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(3) written language in signboards and advertisements;
| | （三）招牌、广告用字；
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(4) names of enterprises and other institutions; and
| | （四）企业事业组织名称；
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(5) packaging and specifications of commodities marketed in the country.
| | （五）在境内销售的商品的包装、说明。
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Article 15 The standard spoken and written Chinese language used in information processing and information technology products shall be in conformity with the norms of the State.
| | 第十五条 信息处理和信息技术产品中使用的国家通用语言文字应当符合国家的规范和标准。
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Article 16 Where the relevant provisions of this Chapter are concerned, local dialects may be used under the following circumstances:
| | 第十六条 本章有关规定中，有下列情形的，可以使用方言：
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(1) when State functionaries really need to use them in the performance of official duties;
| | （一）国家机关的工作人员执行公务时确需使用的；
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(2) where they are used in broadcasting with the approval of the broadcasting and television administration under the State Council or of the broadcasting and television department at the provincial level;
| | （二）经国务院广播电视部门或省级广播电视部门批准的播音用语；
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(3) where they are needed in traditional operas, films and TV programs and other forms of art; and
| | （三）戏曲、影视等艺术形式中需要使用的；
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(4) where their use is really required in the publishing, teaching and research.
| | （四）出版、教学、研究中确需使用的。
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Article 17 Where by the relevant provisions of this Chapter are concerned, the original complex or the variant forms of Chinese characters may be retained or used under the following circumstances:
| | 第十七条 本章有关规定中，有下列情形的，可以保留或使用繁体字、异体字：
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(1) in cultural relics and historic sites;
| | （一）文物古迹；
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(2) the variant forms used in surnames;
| | （二）姓氏中的异体字；
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(3) in works of art such as calligraphy and seal cutting;
| | （三）书法、篆刻等艺术作品；
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(4) handwritten inscriptions and signboards;
| | （四）题词和招牌的手书字；
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(5) where their use is required in the publishing, teaching and research; and
| | （五）出版、教学、研究中需要使用的；
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(6) other special circumstances where their use is approved by the relevant departments under the State Council.
| | （六）经国务院有关部门批准的特殊情况。
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Article 18 The "Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet" shall be used as the tool of transliteration and phonetic notation for the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
The "Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet" is the unified norm of the Roman letters for transliterating the names of Chinese people and places as well as Chinese documents and is used in the realms where it is inconvenient to use the Chinese characters or where the Chinese characters cannot be used.
Chinese phonetic alphabets shall be used in primary education.
| | 第十八条 国家通用语言文字以《汉语拼音方案》作为拼写和注音工具。
《汉语拼音方案》是中国人名、地名和中文文献罗马字母拼写法的统一规范，并用于汉字不便或不能使用的领域。
初等教育应当进行汉语拼音教学。
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Article 19 All staff members who need to use Putonghua as their working language shall have the ability to speak Putonghua.
The Putonghua level of those who use Putonghua as their working language, such as broadcasters, program hosts and hostesses, actors and actresses of films, TV series and plays, teachers and State functionaries shall reach the respective standards set by the State; those who have not yet reached such standards shall receive different training, as the case may be.
| | 第十九条 凡以普通话作为工作语言的岗位，其工作人员应当具备说普通话的能力。
以普通话作为工作语言的播音员、节目主持人和影视话剧演员、教师、国家机关工作人员的普通话水平，应当分别达到国家规定的等级标准；对尚未达到国家规定的普通话等级标准的，分别情况进行培训。
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Article 20 Putonghua and the standardized Chinese characters shall be taught in classes for foreigners who are learning Chinese.
| | 第二十条 对外汉语教学应当教授普通话和规范汉字。
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Chapter III Administration and Supervision
| | 第三章 管理和监督
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Article 21 The department in charge of the work related to spoken and written language under the State Council shall be responsible for planning, guiding, administering and supervising the work related to the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
The departments concerned under the State Council shall administer the use of the standard spoken and written Chinese language in their own departments.
| | 第二十一条 国家通用语言文字工作由国务院语言文字工作部门负责规划指导、管理监督。
国务院有关部门管理本系统的国家通用语言文字的使用。
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Article 22 Local departments in charge of the work related to spoken and written language and other departments concerned shall administer and supervise the use of the standard spoken and written Chinese language within their own administrative areas.
| | 第二十二条 地方语言文字工作部门和其他有关部门，管理和监督本行政区域内的国家通用语言文字的使用。
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Article 23 The administrative departments for industry and commerce under the local people's governments at or above the county level shall administer and supervise the use of spoken and written language in the names of enterprises and commodities as well as in advertisements.
| | 第二十三条 县级以上各级人民政府工商行政管理部门依法对企业名称、商品名称以及广告的用语用字进行管理和监督。
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Article 24 The department in charge of the work related to spoken and written language under the State Council shall issue standards for the test of Putonghua at different grades.
| | 第二十四条 国务院语言文字工作部门颁布普通话水平测试等级标准。
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Article 25 The department in charge of the work related to spoken and written language under the State Council or other departments concerned shall make arrangements for the examination of the translation of the proper nouns like the names of foreigners and foreign places and the scientific and technical terms into the standard spoken and written Chinese language.
| | 第二十五条 外国人名、地名等专有名词和科学技术术语译成国家通用语言文字，由国务院语言文字工作部门或者其他有关部门组织审定。
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Article 26 Any citizen may make criticism and put forward suggestions where the use of spoken and written language is at variance with the norms of the standard spoken and written Chinese language and is in violation of the relevant provisions in Chapter II of this Law.
Where persons mentioned in the second paragraph of Article 19 of this Law use the language in violation of the relevant provisions of Chapter II of this Law, the units concerned shall, by way of education, criticize the persons who are directly responsible; anyone who refuses to put it right shall be handled by the units concerned.
Where the characters used in the facilities and signboards in public places of cities and in advertisements are in violation of the relevant provisions of Chapter II of this Law, the administrative departments concerned shall give orders for them to be corrected; anyone who refuses correct them shall be given a disciplinary warning and be urged to put them right within a time limit.
| | 第二十六条 违反本法第二章有关规定，不按照国家通用语言文字的规范和标准使用语言文字的，公民可以提出批评和建议。
本法第十九条第二款规定的人员用语违反本法第二章有关规定的，有关单位应当对直接责任人员进行批评教育；拒不改正的，由有关单位作出处理。
城市公共场所的设施和招牌、广告用字违反本法第二章有关规定的，由有关行政管理部门责令改正；拒不改正的，予以警告，并督促其限期改正。
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Article 27 Anyone who, in violation of this Law, interferes with other persons' learning and using of the standard spoken and written Chinese language shall be ordered by the relevant administrative departments to put it right within a time limit and be given a disciplinary warning.
| | 第二十七条 违反本法规定，干涉他人学习和使用国家通用语言文字的，由有关行政管理部门责令限期改正，并予以警告。
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Chapter IV Supplementary Provisions
| | 第四章 附则
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| Article 28 This Law shall go into effect as of January 1, 2001. | | 第二十八条 本法自２００１年１月１日起施行。
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