Free tool Check Chinese ad copy against China's Advertising Law
Running ads, a Tmall or JD store, a WeChat article or packaging for the Chinese market? Paste the copy to find the absolute claims that Article 9 of the Advertising Law bans ("national-level", "highest-grade", "best" and their equivalents), the terms that only medical, cosmetics, food, education or finance ads cannot use, and the ones that depend on context. Each hit shows where it is, which article applies, and how to rewrite it.
- Mapped to the statute
- 3 levels + industry rules
- Runs locally
Check ad copy for banned words
Paste the Chinese copy and pick an industry. Results update as you type. Spaces or zero-width characters slipped between characters, and full-width letters, are still caught.
Product titles, detail pages, poster text, livestream scripts, landing pages or WeChat posts. Up to 50,000 characters.
A specific industry checks the general terms plus that industry's terms. Medical wording is checked for every non-medical industry (Article 17).
Hits
8
Total matches from the word list.
Clear violations
2
Almost certain when praising the product.
Industry terms
3
Check whether your industry applies.
Depends on context
3
Read the whole sentence.
Findings
- Violation2 match(es) are almost certainly absolute claims under Article 9(3) when they describe the product. Rewrite them.
- Check3 match(es) are industry-restricted: they are a problem in that industry's ads (or, for medical wording, in any non-medical ad). Check the legal basis column one by one.
- Note3 match(es) depend on context: is the word praising the product, and can you prove it? Articles 5 and 6 of the SAMR guideline list exceptions such as service attitude, comparing within your own brand, and true sales figures limited to a stated period and place.
- NoteContains a percentage or phrases like "data shows" / "research proves" without a visible source. Data, surveys and quotes in ads must be true, accurate and state their source (Article 11, paragraph 2).
- NoteThis is a word-list screen, not legal advice. The same word can be fine in one sentence and not in another, so have legal or ad review read it before it runs.
Where they appear
Red = clear violation, blue = industry term, orange = depends on context. Hover a word to see its level.
Matched terms
One row per term; positions are line numbers.
| Term | Level | Count | Where | Legal basis | Suggested fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
全网最低价 · lowest price online | Clear violation | 1 | line 1 | Advertising Law Art. 9(3); SAMR guideline Art. 2 | Remove it, or replace it with a specific fact: a spec, an award name, a test result |
最佳 · best | Clear violation | 1 | line 1 | Advertising Law Art. 9(3); SAMR guideline Art. 2 | Replace with 「出色」, or state a specific, provable fact |
药妆 · "cosmeceutical" | Industry term | 1 | line 2 | Cosmetics Regulation Arts. 37 and 43 | Remove medical claims; special-use cosmetics (whitening, sunscreen, anti-hair-loss) may only claim what their registration states |
祛疤 · scar removal | Industry term | 1 | line 2 | Cosmetics Regulation Arts. 37 and 43 | Remove medical claims; special-use cosmetics (whitening, sunscreen, anti-hair-loss) may only claim what their registration states |
无刺激 · non-irritating | Industry term | 1 | line 2 | Cosmetics Regulation Arts. 37 and 43 | Remove medical claims; special-use cosmetics (whitening, sunscreen, anti-hair-loss) may only claim what their registration states |
销量第一 · No. 1 in sales | Depends on context | 1 | line 1 | Advertising Law Art. 9(3); SAMR guideline Art. 2 | Read the sentence: keep it if it is not praising the product, or if it is true and states the period, scope and source |
最好 · best | Depends on context | 1 | line 4 | Advertising Law Art. 9(3); SAMR guideline Art. 2 | Read the sentence: keep it if it is not praising the product, or if it is true and states the period, scope and source |
best | Depends on context | 1 | line 5 | SAMR guideline Art. 2 (same or similar meaning) | Read the sentence: keep it if it is not praising the product, or if it is true and states the period, scope and source |
【双11】【全网最低价】！这款精华是敏感肌的出色选择，【销量第一】，99% 的用户都说好用。
【药妆】级配方，7 天【祛疤】，温和【无刺激】。
首单立减 50 元，最高可返 100 元。
库存有限，您【最好】提前加购，第一时间锁定优惠。
The 【best】 serum for sensitive skin.Simple swaps are applied; everything else is wrapped in 【】 for you to rewrite. Read it through before using it.
Version v1.0Updated Update history
What the three levels mean
Matches fall into three levels, and the tool also checks for a few statements the law requires. Fix the red ones first, then verify the blue ones, then read the sentences around the orange ones.
Clear violation
The statute names 国家级 (national-level), 最高级 (highest-grade) and 最佳 (best); terms with the same or similar meaning, such as 最好, 最强, 顶级, 首选 and 全网最低价, count too. Used to praise a product, they almost always fall under Article 9(3). Remove them or state a provable fact.
Industry term
Words only certain industries cannot use: cure rates and "no side effects" in medical ads, 药妆 ("cosmeceutical") or scar removal for cosmetics, lowering blood sugar or preventing cancer for food, guaranteed exam passes for education, guaranteed principal or "risk-free" for finance. Medical wording such as 治疗 (treat) is banned in every non-medical ad (Article 17).
Depends on context
第一 (first / No. 1), 唯一 (only), 独家 (exclusive), 最新 (newest), 100% and similar. Articles 5 and 6 of the SAMR guideline exempt service slogans, comparisons within your own brand, usage tips, standard grades, product names and trademarks, official awards, and true sales figures limited to a period and place. If you cannot prove it, it is still a violation (Article 7).
Missing statements
Some problems are about what is missing: health food must say 本品不能代替药物, investment ads need a risk warning, quoted data needs a source, and patents need a number. The tool checks for these when the related words appear.
The word list is TapCub's compilation of common phrasings mapped to each article, not an official list: the statute names three words followed by "and similar terms". A word can be fine in one sentence and not in another, so treat the result as a first screen, not legal advice.
Check copy before it goes live
Works for e-commerce listings, livestream scripts, posters, WeChat posts and landing pages.
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1
Paste the copy
Paste the whole piece: headline, selling points, details, script. Text inside images needs to be converted to text first.
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2
Choose the industry
Selling skincare? Choose Cosmetics. Selling courses? Choose Education. Not sure? Choose All industries to check more.
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3
Work through the basis
Fix red first, confirm whether blue applies to your industry, and read each orange word in its sentence: is it praising the product, and can you prove it?
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4
Start from the rewrite
Simple swaps are already made; the rest is marked with 【】. Run the check again after editing and make sure every claim is a fact.
Levels and the article behind each
Every category maps to a provision (statute text checked 2026-11-10). The law names only a few words; the rest follow its "same or similar meaning" rule.
- Absolute claims: Advertising Law Article 9(3) bans "using terms such as 国家级, 最高级, 最佳". Article 2 of SAMR's Guidelines on Enforcement Against Absolute Terms in Advertising (Announcement No. 6 of 2023) extends it to terms with the same or similar meaning
- State organs: Article 9(2) bans using, directly or indirectly, the name or image of state organs or their staff
- Industries: medical, drugs and devices Article 16; medical wording in non-medical ads Article 17; health food Article 18; education and training Article 24; investment schemes Article 25. Food also falls under Food Safety Law Article 73, cosmetics under Articles 37 and 43 of the Cosmetics Supervision Regulation
- Matching: longer terms win (全网最低价 is not split into 全网 and 最低); spaces and zero-width characters between characters are ignored and full-width letters are normalized; common non-boastful uses such as 第一步 (step one), 最高可返 (up to … back) and 您最好提前预约 (you had better book early) are skipped or downgraded to context
| Category | Examples | Basis | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute claims | 最佳, 最好, 顶级, 首选, 全网最低价 | Advertising Law Art. 9(3); SAMR guideline Art. 2 | Clear violation |
| Context-dependent claims | 第一, 唯一, 独家, 最新, 100% | SAMR guideline Arts. 5–7 | Depends on context |
| Name of state organs | 国家机关推荐, 政府推荐 | Advertising Law Art. 9(2) | Clear violation |
| "Well-known trademark" | 驰名商标 | Trademark Law Art. 14, para. 5 | Clear violation |
| Medical wording (non-medical ads) | 治疗, 疗效, 消炎 | Advertising Law Art. 17 | Industry term |
| Medical, drugs, devices | 治愈率, 无副作用, 根治 | Advertising Law Art. 16 | Industry term |
| Cosmetics | 药妆, 医学护肤品, 祛疤 | Cosmetics Regulation Arts. 37, 43 | Industry term |
| Food, health food | 降血糖, 防癌, 排毒 | Food Safety Law Art. 73; Advertising Law Art. 18 | Industry term |
| Education and training | 保过, 押题, 命题专家 | Advertising Law Art. 24 | Industry term |
| Finance, investment schemes | 保本, 无风险, 稳赚 | Advertising Law Art. 25 | Industry term |
What the sample copy turns up
The default text is a skincare promotion for Singles' Day, checked with All industries. It has 8 matches, one of them in the English line.
| Text | Level | Why | Rewrite |
|---|---|---|---|
| 全网最低价 (lowest price online) | Clear violation | An absolute price claim; "the whole internet" cannot be proven | State the price: 到手价 129 元 |
| 最佳选择 (the best choice) | Clear violation | Named in the statute | 适合敏感肌的温和配方 (a gentle formula for sensitive skin) |
| 销量第一 (No. 1 in sales) | Depends on context | True sales limited to a period and platform are allowed (guideline Art. 6) | Name the platform, category, period and data source |
| 药妆级 (cosmeceutical-grade) | Industry term | NMPA: claiming the 药妆 concept for a cosmetic is illegal | 温和配方 (gentle formula) |
| 7 天祛疤 (removes scars in 7 days) | Industry term | Scars are a medical matter; cosmetics may not claim medical effects | Delete |
| 无刺激 (non-irritating) | Industry term | An absolute safety assertion | Name the test you ran and its source |
| The best serum | Depends on context | English "best" has the same meaning as 最佳 | Same fix as 最佳 |
最高可返 100 元 ("up to ¥100 back") and 第一时间 ("right away") are not flagged: the first is a promotion cap, the second means "immediately". 您最好提前加购 ("you had better add it to your cart early") is listed as context only, because 最好 is advice there. "99% of users love it" triggers the citation reminder: state the source or remove it.
Where rewrites usually go wrong
Most problems come from changing only the surface, or from overcorrecting.
Swapping in a lookalike
Writing 最好 as 最 好, NO.1 or TOP1 keeps the meaning. Enforcement looks at meaning, and Article 2 of the guideline explicitly covers terms with the same or similar meaning.
Deleting every 最 and 第一
最近 (recently), 第一步 (step one) and 最高可返 100 元 (up to ¥100 back) do not praise anything. Overcorrecting makes copy unreadable, and Articles 5 and 6 list cases that are not violations.
Checking only the headline
Detail pages, image text, livestream scripts and customer-service canned replies can all be treated as advertising. Check all of it.
Quoting numbers you cannot back up
"No. 1 in sales" or "99% positive" is only allowed when it is true and provable, with period, scope and source stated (Article 11; guideline Art. 6). Without that, it can be treated as false or misleading.
After the rewrite, check the results
This tool answers "may I say it?". Whether people still click and buy after the rewrite is a data question.
Landing page report
Visits, bounce rate and conversion by entry page, with the channel next to it. Compare the same page before and after.
Learn moreCampaigns and UTM
Visits and conversions split by campaign, source, medium and content, so you can see which version of the copy brings buyers.
Learn moreCanned replies in live chat
TapCub live chat opens canned replies with a slash. Customers see those scripts too, so paste them here before you save them.
Learn moreChina Advertising Law FAQ
Still have a question?
Chat with the team behind TapCub — we usually reply within a few hours on business days.
Which words does China's Advertising Law ban?
The statute names three: 国家级 (national-level), 最高级 (highest-grade) and 最佳 (best), followed by "and similar terms" (Article 9(3)). SAMR's 2023 enforcement guideline (Article 2) confirms that terms with the same or similar meaning count, so 最好, 最强, 顶级, 首选 and 全网最低价 are covered. Medical, cosmetics, food, education and finance ads have their own banned claims, listed in the table above.
Does the law apply to English copy?
It applies to advertising published in mainland China, whatever the language. "The best" or "No. 1" means the same as 最佳 or 第一, so the tool lists English equivalents as context-dependent. Ads that run only outside China fall under local rules instead.
Is every 第一 or 最 a violation?
No. Article 5 of the guideline exempts service attitude, business philosophy and goals (for example 顾客第一, "customers first"). Article 6 exempts comparisons within your own brand, usage tips, standard grades, product names and trademarks, official awards, and true sales figures limited to a period and place. Article 7 adds that you still need to prove these are true.
How accurate is a word-list check?
It reliably catches common phrasings but cannot understand each sentence. The tool skips frequent non-boastful uses such as 第一步, 最近 and 最高可返, and puts 第一, 唯一 and similar words under context. A person still has to read the sentence.
Why are medical, education and finance ads stricter?
They have dedicated articles: no efficacy guarantees or cure rates for medical products (Article 16), no promises of passing exams or hints that exam setters are involved for training (Article 24), and no guaranteed principal or returns plus a mandatory risk warning for investment ads (Article 25). Article 11 of the guideline says absolute terms about efficacy, investment returns or training results are generally not treated as minor.
Does my own Tmall store or WeChat account count?
Text that sells products on your own store, website or account is generally advertising. Article 4 of the guideline covers a different case: introducing your company name, founding date or business scope on your own premises or site without promoting goods is generally not treated as advertising. Article 10 says ads on your own media that ran briefly or reached few viewers, caused no harm and were corrected promptly should not be penalized.
How does TapCub keep its own site clean?
Every build of tapcub.com runs a check of all page text against a list of absolute terms, and a page containing words like 最好, 全网 or 首选 cannot be published (this page allows the specific words it shows as examples). This tool uses the same kind of rules, with a larger list plus industry rules and context handling.
Is my text uploaded?
No. The check runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is stored, added to the URL or sent to TapCub.
Update history
New features, fixes and data refreshes for this tool, newest first.
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· v1.0
LaunchedFirst release.
Data this tool relies on
- China Advertising Law and enforcement guidelines — checked 2026-11-10, reviewed every 12 months (next review by 2027-11-10)
Missing something or found an error? Tell us — requests that come up often go into the next update. All tool updates
Check headlines and subject lines too
The same absolute-term rules run inside the headline analyzer and the subject line tester, along with truncation checks.