Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Common Language
Release Date: 01-01-2001
Source: Official Website of the PRC
Order of the President of the People’s Republic of China No. 37
The “National Law of the People’s Republic of China” was adopted by the Eighteenth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on October 31, 2000, and is now promulgated, starting on January 1, 2001 Execute.
President of the People’s Republic of China Jiang Zemin
October 31, 2000
Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Common Language
(Adopted at the 18th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s Congress on October 31, 2000)
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Chapter 2 Use of National Languages
Chapter 3 Management and Supervision
Chapter 4 Supplementary Provisions
Chapter 1 General Provisions
Article 1: In order to promote the standardization, standardization and healthy development of the national common language and script, to make the national common language and script play a better role in social life, and to promote economic and cultural exchanges among various nationalities and regions, this Law is formulated in accordance with the Constitution.
Article 2: The national languages spoken in this Law are Mandarin and standard Chinese characters.
Article 3: The State promotes Putonghua and promotes standardized Chinese characters.
Article 4: Citizens have the right to learn and use the national language.
The state provides conditions for citizens to learn and use the national language.
Local people’s governments at all levels and their relevant departments should take measures to promote Putonghua and promote standardized Chinese characters.
Article 5: The use of the national language shall be conducive to the maintenance of national sovereignty and national dignity, to national unification and national unity, and to the construction of socialist material civilization and spiritual civilization.
Article 6: The state promulgates the norms and standards of the national common language, manages the social application of the national common language, supports the teaching and scientific research of the national common language, and promotes the standardization, enrichment and development of the national common language.
Article 7: The State rewards organizations and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the national common language undertaking.
Article 8: All nationalities have the freedom to use and develop their own languages.
The use of minority languages is based on the relevant provisions of the Constitution, the Law on Regional National Autonomy, and other laws.
Chapter 2: Use of the National Common Language
Article 9: State organs use Putonghua and standardized Chinese characters as official language characters, except as otherwise provided by law.
Article 10: Schools and other educational institutions use Putonghua and standardized Chinese characters as basic educational and teaching terms, except as otherwise provided by law.
Schools and other educational institutions teach Mandarin and standard Chinese characters through Chinese language courses. The Chinese textbooks used shall conform to the norms and standards of the national common language.
Article 11: Chinese-language publications shall conform to the norms and standards of the national common language.
If a foreign language script is required in a Chinese language publication, the necessary annotations shall be made in the national language.
Article 12: Putonghua is used as the basic broadcasting term for radio and television stations.
If a foreign language is required for broadcasting, it must be approved by the radio and television department of the State Council.
Article 13: Public service industry uses standardized Chinese characters as basic service characters. For public service needs, signboards, advertisements, notices, signs, etc. that use foreign languages and use Chinese at the same time should use standardized Chinese characters.
Promote Putonghua as a service term in the public service industry.
Article 14 (1): In the following situations, the basic language of the national language shall be used:
(1) Radio, film, television language;
(2) facilities for public places;
(3) signs, advertising ;
(iv) the name of enterprises and institutions;
(5) the package sales of goods in the territory of explanation.
Article 15 (1): The national common language used in information processing and information technology products shall conform to national norms and standards.
Article 16: The relevant provisions of this chapter, the following circumstances, you can use dialect:
When the use of the performance of official duties of staff
(a) State organs;
(b) the approval of the State Council or provincial radio and television department of radio and television broadcasting language department;
(3) those that need to be used in art forms such as opera, film and television;
(4) those that are really needed in publishing, teaching, and research.
Article 17: Relevant provisions of this chapter, in the following circumstances, you can keep or use traditional Chinese characters and variant forms:
(1) heritage;
(2) the variant forms of surnames;
(3) calligraphy, seal carving and other artistic works;
(4) handwritten words for inscriptions and signboards;
(5) those that need to be used in publishing, teaching, and research;
(6) special circumstances approved by the relevant departments of the State Council.
Article 18: The national common language uses “Chinese Pinyin Plan” as a spelling and phonetic tool.
”Hanyu Pinyin Plan” is a unified specification for the spelling of Chinese names, place names, and Roman letters in Chinese documents, and is used in areas where Chinese characters are inconvenient or unusable.
Elementary education shall be conducted with the teaching of Chinese pinyin.
Article 19: Where a position uses Mandarin as its working language, its staff shall have the ability to speak Mandarin.
The Putonghua proficiency of announcers, show hosts, film and television drama actors, teachers, and staff of state agencies who use Putonghua as their working language shall meet the nationally prescribed grade standards; for those who have not yet reached the Putonghua grade standards prescribed by the State, Training.
Article 20: Teaching Chinese as a foreign language shall teach Mandarin and standard Chinese characters.
Chapter 3: Management and Supervision
Article 21: The work of the national common language and script shall be conducted by the State Council ’s language and script work department for planning, guidance, management and supervision.
Relevant departments of the State Council manage the use of the national common language of the system.
Article 22 (1): The local language work department and other relevant departments shall manage and supervise the use of the national language in the administrative area.
Article 23: The administrative departments for industry and commerce of the people’s governments at or above the county level shall manage and supervise the terminology of the names of enterprises, products and advertisements according to law.
Article 24: The language work department of the State Council promulgates standards for the level of Putonghua testing.
Article 25: Translation of proper nouns and scientific and technical terms such as foreign names, place names, and other scientific and technical terms into the national common language shall be examined and approved by the department of language work of the State Council or other relevant departments.
Article 26: Citizens may make criticisms and suggestions if they violate the relevant provisions of Chapter 2 of this law and use languages in accordance with the norms and standards of the national language.
If the terms of personnel specified in the second paragraph of Article 19 of this Law violate the relevant provisions of Chapter 2 of this Law, the relevant units shall educate the directly responsible personnel. If they fail to make corrections, the relevant units shall deal with them.
If the facilities, signs and advertisements in urban public places violate the relevant provisions of Chapter 2 of this Law, the relevant administrative department shall order corrections. Those who refuse to make corrections shall be warned and urged to make corrections within a deadline.
Article 27 (1): Anyone who violates the provisions of this Law and interferes with the learning and use of the common language of others shall be ordered by the relevant administrative department to make corrections within a time limit and a warning shall be given.
Chapter 4: Supplementary Provisions
Article 28: This Law shall enter into force on January 1, 2001.