The article is formed from the content of the traditional music notation course taught by the author to graduate students in traditional music research and ethnomusicology at the Central Conservatory of Music in recent years.The article comprehensively and deeply explores the issue of mode identification,which plays a leading role in the notation of traditional Chinese folk songs.There are four aspects involved in such discussion:the identification of pentatonic tunes,the identification of special pentatonic tunes containing neutral tones(outside the pentatonic tones),the expression of pentatonic tunes with the shifting tone of Gong(Do),and the identification and expression of incomplete pentatonic tunes.This article combines traditional theories with specific music practices and attempts to provide opinions on some long-standing topics that have not reached consensus.The intention is to contribute experience to the urgently needed improvement of the Chinese traditional music notation system, and more importantly,to benefit young students who are heading towards the vast fields.