GB/T 16159-2012Basic rules of the Chinese phonetic alphabet orthography (English PDF)

1 Scope

This standard specifies the rules for writing modern Chinese with the Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet. It covers word division and joined writing, the spelling of personal and place names, capitalisation, abbreviation, tone marking, line breaking and the use of punctuation, and it provides flexible rules for cases with special needs.

It applies to Pinyin spelling in culture and education, in editing and publishing, in Chinese information processing and in comparable fields.

2 Normative references

The following documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition, including all amendments, applies.

GB/T 15834 General rules for punctuation · GB/T 28039 The Chinese phonetic alphabet spelling rules for Chinese names · Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, approved by the First National People's Congress at its fifth session on 11 February 1958 · Rules for the Chinese phonetic alphabet spelling of Chinese place names, issued on 25 December 1984 by the China Committee on Geographical Names, the Committee for Chinese Language Reform and the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

3.1 word. The smallest unit of the language that can be used independently.

3.2 Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet. The scheme that transcribes and spells the pronunciation of Putonghua with the Chinese phonetic alphabet, approved by the First National People's Congress at its fifth session on 11 February 1958. It uses Latin letters together with diacritical marks, and serves to support the learning of Chinese characters and the promotion of Putonghua.

3.3 orthography of the Chinese phonetic alphabet. The norms governing the spelling of Hanyu Pinyin and the form in which it is written.

4 Principles of formulation

4.1 This standard extends the syllable spelling rules laid down in the Scheme for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet into rules for the spelling of words.

4.2 The word is taken as the unit of spelling. Phonetic and semantic factors are weighed together with the length of the written word, and the rules for word division follow the grammatical class of the word.