--- title: "Chinese vs WXF Xiangqi Notation: What Actually Differs · Xiangqi Master" description: "Only the script. Both name the piece, its file, a direction and a destination in the same order, and express identical moves." url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-chinese-and-wxf-notation updated: 2026-09-22 source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com) license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) --- # What is the difference between Chinese and WXF 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 > > **Only the script.** Both systems name the piece, the file it stands on, the direction and the destination, in that order. 炮二平五 and C2=5 are the same four pieces of information. There is no difference in what can be expressed, and converting between them is mechanical. ## The one visual difference Chinese convention writes Red's file numbers with Chinese numerals (一二三…) and Black's with Arabic (1 2 3…), which lets you tell at a glance whose move you are reading. WXF uses Arabic for both and relies on move order. ## Which to use Whichever your sources use. If you read western books and sites, WXF. If you want Chinese game collections and endgame studies — which is most of the literature — the characters. Learning the second after the first takes an evening, because the grammar is already familiar. ## Related questions Can software convert between them? Yes, trivially — the mapping is one to one. Do Vietnamese players use a third system? Vietnamese sources commonly use the Chinese structure with Vietnamese piece names, and WXF is understood internationally. ## Related xiangqi resources Reading notation 炮二平五 and C2=5 — the same move, two ways Xiangqi glossary Every term, with the Chinese and the WXF spelling Xiangqi questions answered Every question on this site, in one index ## Try it on a real board Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.