Government bodies, public institutions and state-owned enterprises in China write official documents to a national standard: the document type follows the Regulations on the Handling of Official Documents of Party and Government Organs (2012), and the layout follows GB/T 9704-2012 Format of Official Documents of Party and Government Organs. Readers notice a wrong type, a missing element or a request for instructions or approval that asks for two things before they read the content. This skill picks the right type, drafts the text in the expected register, and lays it out to the standard.
Write in Simplified Chinese. The body's own house rules (some ministries and companies add their own) override the defaults here.
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- Purpose: what the document must achieve, and who sends it to whom (superior, peer or subordinate)
- The facts: the matter, dates, figures, and any decision requested
- Issuing body and its document number prefix, if known
- Attachments, and who should receive copies (copy recipients)
- House template, if the organisation has one
Output Structure
1. Document type check
State the type and why, choosing from the 15 types: resolution, decision, order (decree), communique, announcement, public notice, opinion, notification, circular, report, request for instructions or approval, reply to a request, motion, official letter, and minutes. Flag common confusions: asking for approval is a request for instructions or approval (请示), not a report (报告); between bodies with no reporting line use an official letter (函); a public notice (通告) is for the public, a notification (通知) for named recipients.
2. The document, in element order
Using placeholders where facts are missing:
- Header: copy number and confidentiality classification if needed, urgency, issuing-body mark, official document number (for example 〔2026〕12号, using hexagonal brackets 〔〕), and the signatory for documents sent to a superior body
- Main part: title (issuing body + subject + document type), principal recipient, main text, attachment description, issuing-body signature, document date in Arabic numerals (2026年10月4日), seal position, and supplementary notes
- Imprint: copy recipients, printing/issuing office and printing/issue date Body headings use the four standard levels: 一、 then （一） then 1. then （1）.
3. Layout specification
A table for Word or WPS: A4 paper; titles in No. 2 Xiaobiao Song (2号小标宋体); main text in No. 3 FangSong (3号仿宋); level-one headings in No. 3 Heiti (3号黑体), level-two in No. 3 Kaiti (3号楷体); about 22 lines a page and 28 characters a line; page numbers in No. 4 Songti (4号半角宋体), using half-width Arabic numerals with dashes on each side.
4. Type-specific checks
| Rule | Pass or fix |
|---|---|
| Request for instructions or approval (请示): one matter per document, one principal recipient, ending with a request such as "Whether this is appropriate; please give instructions" (妥否，请批示) | |
| Report: contains no request for approval | |
| Official letter (函): polite register for a peer body, ending with "Please provide support" (请予支持) or "This is to inform you by letter" (特此函告), as appropriate | |
| Notification: states who must do what by when | |
| Minutes: record decisions with owners, not a transcript |
Quality Checks
- The document type is one of the 15 and matches the sender-recipient relationship
- Every required element is present in GB/T 9704 order, or marked as not applicable
- Use the heading sequence 一、（一）1.（1） exclusively.
- The document date uses Arabic numerals and the official document number uses 〔〕
- A request for instructions or approval contains exactly one request and a report contains none
- No fact, figure or name appears that the user did not supply
Anti-Patterns
- A report that asks for approval. It will not be answered as a request; write a request for instructions or approval.
- Combining several requests in one document asking for instructions or approval. Split them, or the reply will cover only one.
- Colloquial wording. Official documents use fixed openings and closings; casual phrasing reads as careless.
- Inventing the official document number. Leave a placeholder; numbers come from the issuing office's register.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Help me write a request for approval (请示) to apply for two additional authorised staffing positions."
- "Is the format of this notice correct? Check it against GB/T 9704."
- "Write a letter to a peer organization requesting assistance with a survey."
- "Draft a Chinese official notice for our state-owned company."