---
title: "How Do You Write a General Move in Xiangqi Notation? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Piece plus direction and a single-point count, since the general always moves exactly one point: for example 將五進一 moves the general on file five forward one point."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-you-write-a-general-move-in-xiangqi-notation
updated: 2026-09-23
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# How do you write a general move in xiangqi notation?

These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.

> Direct answer
>
> A general move is written the same way as any other piece: **piece character**, **starting file**, **direction** (進 advance, 退 retreat, 平 sideways), and a **count**, which is always **one**, since the general never moves more than a single point at a time. So 將五進一 reads as the general on file five advancing one point.

## Why the count is always one here

Unlike a chariot or cannon, which can travel multiple points in a straight line, the general's movement rule limits it to exactly one point per move, so its notation never shows any count other than one. This makes general moves some of the easiest notation to read at a glance.

## Advisor moves follow the same simple pattern

An advisor's notation looks almost identical, one point per move, but always diagonal, so its notation uses only the advance and retreat symbols since a genuinely sideways diagonal isn't part of how 平 is used for straight-line pieces; the destination file identifies which diagonal point it landed on.

## Related questions

Can the general's notation ever show a distance greater than one?

No, that would describe an illegal move, since the general can never move more than one point at a time.

Is there a separate symbol for a check delivered by the general?

Not universally standardised across all notation systems; some annotated sources add a check symbol after any move that gives check, general included.

## Related xiangqi resources

Reading notation

炮二平五 and C2=5 — the same move, two ways

How the general moves

One point orthogonally, never leaves the palace

The flying general

Generals may never face each other down an open file

## Try it on a real board

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