What is the difference between standards and specifications?

In the field of engineering construction, standards and specifications are the most frequently used basic terms, and they are also the ones that people find most difficult to understand. The concept of a standard has been discussed earlier; in accordance with the provisions of \"General Terms for Standardization and Related Fields – Part 1: Basic Terms\" (GB3935.1), a standard generally refers to a set of regulations regarding technical aspects such as design, construction, manufacturing, and inspection in industrial and agricultural production as well as in engineering construction. Standards and specifications are both forms of standards; *they are commonly referred to as standards in general, with distinctions being made only when dealing with specific entities. When referring to basic standards for products, methods, symbols, concepts, etc., the term “standard” is generally used, such as the \"Standards for Geotechnical Testing Methods\", \"Health Standards for Potable Water\", \"Standards for Road Engineering\", \"Standards for Seismic Assessment of Buildings\", and so on ； When regulations are established for general technical matters such as engineering survey, planning, design, and construction, \"codes\" are typically used, such as the \"Concrete Design Code\", the \"Fire Protection Code for Building Design\", the \"Code for Residential Building Design\", the \"Code for Construction and Acceptance of Masonry Works\", and the \"Code for Roof Engineering Technology\", among others. In the standardization of engineering construction in our country, the varying standards and practices adopted by different regulatory authorities when using these two terms lead to a high degree of arbitrariness in their use, which is the fundamental reason why it is so difficult for people to understand these two terms. As our country joined the World Trade Organization and gradually aligned itself with international practices, standards and regulations are undergoing changes in their application. For example, in recent years, China’s health authorities have collectively referred to certain regulatory documents that involve technical specifications and carry a certain degree of mandatory force as “technical standards” or “specifications”, in order to distinguish them from voluntary or advisory standards. In the standardization of engineering construction, there are currently no requirements to further standardize the use of these two terms.