---
title: "How Do You Write a Soldier Move in Xiangqi Notation? · Xiangqi Master"
description: "As piece, starting file, and forward or sideways direction with a destination count: 兵 or P for the piece, then advance, or move sideways once across the river."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-you-write-a-soldier-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 soldier 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 soldier move is written as its **piece letter or character**, its **starting file**, and a direction: 進 or `+` for advancing straight ahead, or, once it has crossed the river, 平 or `.` for a sideways step, followed by the destination file or, when advancing, simply the count of one point.

## Before and after the river

An uncrossed soldier only ever advances, so its notation only ever uses the forward-move symbol. Once it crosses, sideways moves become possible too, and notation for a crossed soldier can show either the forward symbol or the sideways one, depending on which way it actually moved that turn.

## Why soldier notation looks simple compared to other pieces

Because a soldier always moves exactly one point, there's no distance count to specify the way there is for a chariot or cannon travelling several points down a line. The direction symbol alone, plus the destination file for a sideways move, is enough to fully describe it.

## Related questions

Can a soldier's notation show a retreat?

No, there is no backward symbol used for a soldier, since it can never move backward under the rules.

Is the soldier symbol the same in Chinese and WXF notation?

No, Chinese notation uses 兵 or 卒 depending on colour, while WXF notation uses the single letter P for both.

## Related xiangqi resources

Reading notation

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

How the soldier moves

Forward only, until it crosses the river

Xiangqi rules

The complete reference, rule by rule

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.