第一編 總則
Part One General Provisions

第一章 任務、適用范圍和基本原則
Chapter Ⅰ The Aim, Scope of Application and Basic Principles

第一條 中華人民共和國民事訴訟法以憲法為根據，結合我國民事審判工作的經驗和實際情況制定。

Article 1 The Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China is formulated on the basis of the Constitution and in the light of the experience and actual conditions of our country in the trial of civil cases.

第二條 中華人民共和國民事訴訟法的任務，是保護當事人行使訴訟權利，保證人民法院查明事實，分清是非，正確適用法律，及時審理民事案件，確認民事權利義務關系，制裁民事違法行為，保護當事人的合法權益，教育公民自覺遵守法律，維護社會秩序、經濟秩序，保障社會主義建設事業順利進行。

Article 2 The Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China aims to protect the exercise of the litigation rights of the parties and ensure the ascertaining of facts by the people's courts, distinguish right from wrong, apply the law correctly, try civil cases promptly, affirm civil rights and obligations, impose sanctions for civil wrongs, protect the lawful rights and interests of the parties, educate citizens to voluntarily abide by the law, maintain the social and economic order, and guarantee the smooth progress of the socialist construction.

第三條 人民法院受理公民之間、法人之間、其他組織之間以及他們相互之間因財產關系和人身關系提起的民事訴訟，適用本法的規定。

Article 3 In dealing with civil litigation arising from disputes on property and personal relations between citizens, legal persons or other organizations and between the three of them, the peoples' courts shall apply the provisions of this Law.

第四條 凡在中華人民共和國領域內進行民事訴訟，必須遵守本法。

Article 4 Whoever engages in civil litigation within the territory of the People's Republic of China must abide by this Law.

第五條 外國人、無國籍人、外國企業和組織在人民法院起訴、應訴，同中華人民共和國公民、法人和其他組織有同等的訴訟權利義務。

外國法院對中華人民共和國公民、法人和其他組織的民事訴訟權利加以限制的，中華人民共和國人民法院對該國公民、企業和組織的民事訴訟權利，實行對等原則。

Article 5 Aliens, stateless persons, foreign enterprises and organizations that bring suits or enter appearance in the people's courts shall have the same litigation rights and obligations as citizens，legal persons and other organizations of the People's Republic of China.

If the courts of a foreign country impose restrictions on the civil litigation rights of the citizens, legal persons and other organizations of the People's Republic of China, the people's courts of the People's Republic of China shall follow the principle of reciprocity regarding the civil litigation rights of the citizens, enterprises and organizations of that foreign country.

第六條 民事案件的審判權由人民法院行使。

人民法院依照法律規定對民事案件獨立進行審判，不受行政機關、社會團體和個人的干涉。

Article 6 The people's courts shall exercise judicial powers with respect to civil cases.

The people's courts shall try civil cases independently in accordance with the law, and shall be subject to no interference by any administrative organ, public organization or individual.

第七條 人民法院審理民事案件，必須以事實為根據，以法律為準繩。

Article 7 In trying civil cases, the people's courts must base themselves on facts and take the law as the criterion.

第八條 民事訴訟當事人有平等的訴訟權利。人民法院審理民事案件，應當保障和便利當事人行使訴訟權利，對當事人在適用法律上一律平等。

Article 8 The parties in civil litigation shall have equal litigation rights.

The people's courts shall, in conducting the trials, safeguard their litigation rights, facilitate their exercising the rights, and apply the law equally to them.

第九條 人民法院審理民事案件，應當根據自愿和合法的原則進行調解；調解不成的，應當及時判決。

Article 9 In trying civil cases, the people's courts shall conduct mediation for the parties on a voluntary and lawful basis; if mediation fails, judgments shall be rendered without delay.

第十條 人民法院審理民事案件，依照法律規定實行合議、回避、公開審判和兩審終審制度。

Article 10 In trying civil cases, the people's courts shall, according to the provisions of the law, follow the systems of panel hearing, withdrawal, public trial and the court of second instance being that of last instance.

第十一條 各民族公民都有用本民族語言、文字進行民事訴訟的權利。

在少數民族聚居或者多民族共同居住的地區，人民法院應當用當地民族通用的語言、文字進行審理和發布法律文書。

人民法院應當對不通曉當地民族通用的語言、文字的訴訟參與人提供翻譯。

Article 11 Citizens of all nationalities shall have the right to use their native spoken and written languages in civil proceedings.

Where minority nationalities live in aggregation in a community or where several nationalities live together in one area, the people's courts shall conduct hearings and issue legal documents in the spoken and written languages commonly used by the local nationalities.

The people's courts shall provide translations for any participant in the proceedings who is not familiar with the spoken or written languages commonly used by the local nationalities.

第十二條 人民法院審理民事案件時，當事人有權進行辯論。

Article 12 Parties to civil actions are entitled in the trials by the people's courts to argue for themselves.

第十三條 民事訴訟應當遵循誠實信用原則。

當事人有權在法律規定的范圍內處分自己的民事權利和訴訟權利。

Article 13 Civil litigation shall observe the principle of honesty and good faith.

The parties are free to deal with their own civil rights and litigation rights the way they prefer within the scope provided by the law.

第十四條 人民檢察院有權對民事訴訟實行法律監督。

Article 14 The people's procuratorate shall have the right to conduct legal supervision over civil litigation.

第十五條 機關、社會團體、企業事業單位對損害國家、集體或者個人民事權益的行為，可以支持受損害的單位或者個人向人民法院起訴。

Article 15 Where an act has infringed upon the civil rights and interests of the State, a collective organization or an individual, any State organ, public organization, enterprise or institution may support the injured unit or individual to bring an action in a people's court.

第十六條 民族自治地方的人民代表大會根據憲法和本法的原則，結合當地民族的具體情況，可以制定變通或者補充的規定。自治區的規定，報全國人民代表大會常務委員會批準。自治州、自治縣的規定，報省或者自治區的人民代表大會常務委員會批準，并報全國人民代表大會常務委員會備案。

Article 16 The people's congresses of the national autonomous regions may formulate, in accordance with the Constitution and the principles of this Law, and in conjunction with the specific circumstances of the local nationalities, adaptive and supplementary provisions. Such provisions made by an autonomous region shall be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for approval; those made by an autonomous prefecture or autonomous county shall be submitted to the standing committee of the people's congress of the relevant province or autonomous region for approval and to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for the record.