全國人民代表大會常務委員會是全國人民代表大會的常設機關。它在全國人民代表大會閉會期間，行使最高國家權力，受全國人民代表大會監督，對全國人民代表大會負責并報告工作。
??? Permanent body of the NPC, the Standing Committee, when the NPC is not in session, exercises the power of the highest state organ, is under the supervision of the full congress of the NPC, is responsible to and reports its work to the full congress of the NPC.

全國人大常委會由委員長、副委員長若干人、秘書長和委員若干人組成。常務委員會的組成人員，由全國人民代表大會從代表中選出。在全國人大常委會的委員當中，一般應該包括：（1）中國共產黨的代表；（2）各民主黨派和無黨派愛國民主人士的代表；（3）工、青、婦等社會團體的代表；（4）人民解放軍的代表；（5）人口在100萬人以上的各少數民族代表。
??? The Standing Committee is composed of the chairman, vice chairmen, the secretary-general and members. All of its component members are elected from among the deputies to the NPC. Normally, they represent: (1) the Communist Party; (2) other political parties and patriotic and democratic personages not affiliated to any political party; (3) social organizations of workers, youth and women; (4) the People's Liberation Army; and (5) ethnic minorities each with a population more than a million.

全國人大常委會的每屆任期與全國人大每屆任期相同，都是5年。但全國人大常委會任期的計算方法是：從本屆全國人大第一次會議選舉產生常委會開始，到下屆全國人大第一次會議產生新的常委會時止。全國人大常委會的委員長和副委員長連續任職不得超過兩屆。同時，全國人大常委會的組成人員不得擔任國家行政機關、審判機關和檢察機關的職務；如果擔任上述職務，則必須向全國人大常委會辭去常委會中的職務。
??? The term of office of the Standing Committee, also five years, is the same as that of the NPC. It, however, begins with the election of the Standing Committee by the 1st session of the NPC and ends with the election of the new Standing Committee at the 1st session of the following NPC. The chairman and vice chairmen of the Standing Committee shall not serve more than two consecutive terms. Meanwhile, component members of the Standing Committee shall not serve in administrative, judicial or persecuting organs of the state. If they assume posts in such organs, they must first give up their position in the Standing Committee.

全國人民代表大會常務委員會委員長主持常務委員會的工作，副委員長、秘書長協助委員長工作。委員長、副委員長、秘書長組成委員長會議，處理常務委員會的重要日常工作。常務委員會的會議，一般每2個月舉行一次；有特殊需要的時候，可以臨時召集會議。
??? The chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC presides over the work of the Standing Committee and the vice chairmen and the secretary-general assist the chairman in his work. The Meeting of the Chairmen, attended by the chairman, vice chairmen and the secretary-general, is in charge of important routine work of the Standing Committee. This Meeting is held once every two months and special sessions may be convened whenever necessary.

歷屆全國人民代表大會常務委員會委員長為：劉少奇、朱德、葉劍英、彭真、萬里、喬石、李鵬、吳邦國。
??? The chairmen of the Standing Committee of the 1st to the 10th NPC have been Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Ye Jianying, Peng Zhen, Wan Li, Qiao Shi, Li Peng and Wu Bangguo.

根據憲法和《全國人民代表大會組織法》的規定，全國人民代表大會常務委員會的職權包括：
??? In accordance with the Constitution and the Organization Law of the National People's Congress, the functions and powers of the Standing Committee include the following:

1．立法權。依據現行憲法的規定，全國人大常委會和全國人大共同行使立法權。主要包括：制定和修改除應當由全國人民代表大會制定的法律以外的其他法律；在全國人民代表大會閉會期間，對全國人民代表大會制定的法律進行部分補充和修改，但是不得同該法律的基本原則相抵觸。這樣，除了憲法和基本法律外，大量的立法工作都由全國人大常委會承擔。
??? 1. Legislation. According to the present Constitution, the NPC and its Standing Committee jointly exercise the power of legislation. The legislative rights of the Standing Committee mainly include: drafting and revising laws except those to be enacted only by the full congress of the NPC; partially supplementing and amending, when the NPC is not in session, laws enacted by the NPC, provided that the basic principles of these laws are not contravened. As a result, a large amount of the legislative job is conducted by the Standing Committee, with the exception of that involving the Constitution and basic laws.

2．憲法和法律的解釋權。解釋憲法，即對法律條文本身需要進一步明確界限或作補充規定而作的立法解釋。這樣便于從立法的角度及時回答和解決憲法和法律實施過程中提出的問題，保障憲法和法律的準確實施。
??? 2. Interpretation of the Constitution and laws. Interpretation of the Constitution means legislative explanations that are needed for further defining the legal stipulations or serving as supplements. This is in the interest of timely answering and solving questions arising over the process of implementing the Constitution or laws from a legal point of view, so as to ensure the accurate execution of the Constitution and laws.

3．憲法實施的監督權。現行憲法除規定全國人大監督憲法的實施外，還賦予全國人大常委會以監督憲法實施的職權。全國人大常委會是全國人大的常設機構，由它行使這一職權，便于對憲法的實施進行經常性的監督。這對于保障憲法的實施具有重大意義。
??? 3. Supervision of the enforcement of the Constitution. The present Constitution also gives the Standing Committee of the NPC the power of supervising its enforcement, apart from stipulating that the NPC has the power of supervision. To allow the Standing Committee, the permanent organ of the NPC, to exercise regular supervision over the enforcement of the Constitution is of great significance to the implementation of the Constitution.

4．對其他國家機關工作的監督權。全國人民代表大會常務委員會監督國務院、中央軍事委員會、最高人民法院和最高人民檢察院的工作；撤銷由國務院制定的同憲法、法律相抵觸的行政法規、決定和命令；撤銷省、自治區、直轄市國家權力機關制定的同憲法、法律和行政法規相抵觸的地方性法規和決議。
??? 4. Supervision of the work of other state organs. The Standing Committee supervises the work of the State Council, the Central Military Commission, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. It annuls those administrative rules and regulations, decisions or orders of the State Council that contravene the Constitution and laws, as well as those local regulations or decisions of the organs of state power of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government that contravene the Constitution or the administrative rules and regulations.

5．對其他國家機關工作人員的人事任免權。在全國人民代表大會閉會期間，根據國務院總理的提名，決定國務院的部長、委員會主任、審計長、秘書長的人選；在全國人民代表大會閉會期間，根據中央軍事委員會主席的提名，決定中央軍事委員會其他組成人員的人選；根據最高人民法院院長的提請，任免最高人民法院副院長、審判員、審判委員會委員和軍事法院院長；根據最高人民檢察院檢察長的提請，任免最高人民檢察院副檢察長、檢察員、檢察委員會委員和軍事檢察院檢察長，并且批準省、自治區、直轄市的人民檢察院檢察長的任免；決定國家駐外全權代表的任免。
??? 5. Appointment and removal. When the NPC is not session, the Standing Committee decides on the choice of ministers in charge of ministries and state commissions, the auditor-general or the secretary-general of the State Council, upon nomination by the premier of the State Council, decide on the choice of members of the Central Military Commission, upon nomination by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, appoint or remove vice presidents and judges of the Supreme People's Court, members of its judicial committee and the president of the Military Court, at the recommendation of the president of the Supreme People's Court, appoint or remove deputy procurators-general and procurators of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, members of its procuratorial committee and the chief procurator of the Military Procuratorate, and approve the appointment or removal of the chief procurators of the people's procuratorates of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, at the recommendation of the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. It also decides on the appointment or recall of plenipotentiary representatives abroad.

6．對國家生活中重要問題的決定權。這一職權包括：決定同外國締結的條約和重要協定的批準和廢除；規定軍人和外交人員的銜級制度和其他專門銜級制度；規定和決定授予國家的勛章和榮譽稱號；決定特赦；在全國人民代表大會閉會期間，如果遇到國家遭受武裝侵犯或者必須履行國際間共同防止侵略的條約的情況，決定戰爭狀態的宣布；決定全國總動員或者局部動員；決定全國或者個別省、自治區、直轄市的戒嚴；在全國人民代表大會閉會期間，審查和批準國民經濟和社會發展計劃、國家預算在執行過程中所必須做的部分調整方案。
??? 6. Decision-making over important issues in the life of the state. This includes decision on the ratification or abrogation of treaties and important agreements concluded with foreign states, institution of systems of titles and ranks for military and diplomatic personnel and of other special ranks, instituting state medals and titles or honors and decision on their conferment, decision on the granting of special pardons, decision on, when the NPC is not in session, the proclamation of a state of war in the event of armed attack on the country or in fulfillment of international treaty obligations concerning joint resistance against aggression, decision on general or partial mobilization, decision on the imposition of martial law throughout the country or in particular provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government, examination and approval of, when the NPC is not in session, partial adjustment to the national economic and social development plans and state budget which are necessary during the course of their implementation.

7．全國人民代表大會授予的其他職權。除上述職權外，全國人大常委會還有權執行全國人大授予的其他職權。如：主持全國人民代表大會代表的選舉，召集全國人民代表大會的會議，聯系全國人大代表，并組織他們視察，在全國人大閉會期間，領導各專門委員會的工作，等等。
??? 7. Other functions and powers delegated by the NPC. These may include presiding over the election of the deputies to the NPC, convening sessions of the NPC, contacting NPC deputies and organizing them to make inspection and providing leadership over special committees when the NPC is not in session.

(來源：中國網，編輯 Helen)