General education is a concept corresponding to adult education, and the difference between them mainly lies in the difference of educational objects and learning forms. The object of general education is mainly teenagers in the growing stage, and it adopts full-time teaching form; As the name implies, the object of adult education is adults, and part-time teaching is generally implemented.

The task of general education is usually undertaken by schools that implement general education (called general education schools). General education schools are divided into general basic education schools, vocational education schools and ordinary institutions of higher learning, all of which implement full-time teaching. General basic education is divided into preschool education, primary education, junior high school education and senior high school education, including special education for disabled children, teenagers and young people and work-study education for extraordinary students; Vocational education includes general secondary professional education, vocational high school education, mechanic education and higher vocational education (general higher vocational education also belongs to general higher education). General higher education refers to the academic education that mainly recruits high school graduates for full-time study. It is one of the most authoritative measures in China's higher education training plan, and it is also the main measure in China's higher education high-level talent training plan.