[multibyte.strings]

# 16 Library introduction [[library]](./#library)

## 16.3 Method of description [[description]](description#multibyte.strings)

### 16.3.3 Other conventions [[conventions]](conventions#multibyte.strings)

#### 16.3.3.3 Type descriptions [[type.descriptions]](type.descriptions#multibyte.strings)

#### 16.3.3.3.4 Character sequences [[character.seq]](character.seq#multibyte.strings)

#### 16.3.3.3.4.3 Multibyte strings [multibyte.strings]

[1](#1)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/lib-intro.tex#L827)

A [*multibyte character*](#def:character,multibyte "16.3.3.3.4.3 Multibyte strings [multibyte.strings]") is
a sequence of one or more bytes representing the
code unit sequence for an encoded character of the
execution character set[.](#1.sentence-1)

[2](#2)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/lib-intro.tex#L834)

A [*null-terminated multibyte string*](#def:ntmbs "16.3.3.3.4.3 Multibyte strings [multibyte.strings]"),
or ntmbs,
is an ntbs that constitutes a
sequence of valid multibyte characters, beginning and ending in the initial
shift state[.](#2.sentence-1)[141](#footnote-141 "An ntbs that contains characters only from the basic literal character set is also an ntmbs. Each multibyte character then consists of a single byte.")

[3](#3)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/lib-intro.tex#L847)

A [*static ntmbs*](#def:ntmbs,static "16.3.3.3.4.3 Multibyte strings [multibyte.strings]") is an ntmbs with static storage duration[.](#3.sentence-1)

[141)](#footnote-141)[141)](#footnoteref-141)

An ntbs that contains characters only from the
basic literal character set is also an ntmbs[.](#footnote-141.sentence-1)

Each multibyte character then
consists of a single byte[.](#footnote-141.sentence-2)