Gongche notation (gōng chǐ pǔ) is a traditional Chinese musical notation system that uses Chinese characters—primarily 工 (gōng), 尺 (chǐ), and others like 上 (shàng), 仩 (shàng), 合 (hé), and 五 (wǔ)—to represent relative pitches, similar to solfège (do-re-mi). The name comes directly from the first two syllables: 工 (gōng) and 尺 (chǐ), which correspond to specific scale degrees in the pentatonic or heptatonic system. Unlike modern staff notation, gongche is modal, context-dependent, and often includes rhythmic cues through additional symbols or spacing.

This notation was widely used from the Tang and Song dynasties through the Qing dynasty, especially for traditional Chinese opera (e.g., Kunqu), folk ensembles, and ritual music. Though largely replaced by numbered notation (jianpu) and Western staff notation today, gongche remains vital for historical research, cultural preservation, and teaching classical repertoire. It reflects how Chinese music theory historically prioritized oral transmission alongside written aids rather than prescribing absolute pitch or strict meter.