GB/T 46846-2025Music score publishing - Staff notation - General specifications (English PDF)

Foreword

This document is in accordance with GB/T 1.1-2020 "Standardization Work Guidelines Part

1.Structure and Drafting Rules of Standardization Documents". Drafting is scheduled. Please note that some content in this document may involve patents. The issuing organization of this document assumes no responsibility for identifying patents. This document is under the jurisdiction of the National Technical Committee on Standardization of Press and Publication (SAC/TC 527). This document was drafted by: People's Music Publishing House Co., Ltd., the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Publishing Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, and Shanghai Conservatory of Music Publishing House. Publishing House Co., Ltd., Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House Co., Ltd., Central Conservatory of Music Press Co., Ltd., China Conservatory of Music, Shandong Educational Publishing House Co., Ltd., China Youth Publishing Group Co., Ltd., China Academy of Press and Publication, Chemical Industry Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Jingxing Chenhua Graphic Design Co., Ltd., and Baihualin Music Culture Communication Studio, Jiefang West Road, Zhongzhan District, Jiaozuo City. The main drafters of this document are. Wang Jianwei, Li Jun, Yang Haihong, Sun Hongcheng, Xing Yuanyuan, Gao Ying, Xin Jun, Jia Sumei, Zuo Jia, Xu Wan, and Chen Hanqing. Ji Ling, Han Xiaofang, Li Lufeng, He Junfeng, Jiang An, Wang Yong, Li Hui, Li Qi, Du Yongshou. General Standards for Publishing Musical Sheet Music (Standard Notation)

1 Scope

GB/T 46846-2025 is the Chinese national standard covering engraving music on the five-line staff - the stave and clef, the beaming and the spacing, the placement of dynamics, slurs and lyrics, the page turns and the part extraction, all of it written down as a publishing rule rather than left to a house tradition. At 65,000 words, and it is the first national standard on the subject. Under the National Press and Publication Administration, in force from 1 April 2026. Issued on 2 December 2025, it has been in force since 1 April 2026.

This document describes the form of the currently used symbols for the staff (excluding modern musical notation) and defines the functions of the commonly used symbols for the staff. It defines the meaning, specifies the usage requirements of stylistic symbols, basic symbols, and auxiliary symbols in the staff notation, and describes the methods for verifying the usage requirements. This document applies to the publication of music scores.

2 Normative references

This document has no normative references.

3 Terms and Definitions

This document does not contain any terms or definitions that need to be defined.

4 General Principles

Based on current usage, and adhering to the principles of standardization, uniformity, conciseness, aesthetics, and avoiding ambiguity.

5 Staff notation symbols

5.1 Meaning of the symbols in the staff notation The carriers of basic and auxiliary symbols in musical notation, that is, all other symbols and musical components in the score besides basic and auxiliary symbols. gather.