本文档描述了基本形式本体（BFO），这是一种符合ISO/IEC？21838？1中规定的顶级本体要求的本体。 它将BFO描述为一种资源，旨在支持异构信息系统之间的信息交换。以下内容属于本文件的范围: -？BFO-2020术语和关系的定义； -？OWL？2和CL中BFO-2020的公理化； -？BFO-2020符合ISO/IEC 21838-1中顶级本体规定要求的文件； -？如果领域本体要作为一套本体中的一个模块来使用，那么领域本体的需求规范将由BFO作为顶层- 通过提供一个起点，在那些领域本体中引入最通用的术语，这些领域本体是其在套件中的近邻，从而提升本体中心的级别； -？说明BFO中的术语在制定符合BFO的较低层次的本体定义和公理时所起的作用。 以下内容不在本文件范围内: -？本体语言规范，包括本体开发中标准使用的语言RDF、OWL和CL； -？本体论推理方法规范； -？在不同本体语言开发的本体符号之间指定翻译人员。

This document describes Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), which is an ontology that is conformant to the requirements specified for top-level ontologies in？ISO/IEC？21838？1. It describes BFO as a resource designed to support the interchange of information among heterogeneous information systems. The following are within the scope of this document: —？definitions of BFO-2020 terms and relations; —？axiomatizations of BFO-2020 in OWL？2 and CL; —？documentation of the conformity of BFO-2020 to the requirements specified for top-level ontologies in？ISO/IEC？21838？1; —？specification of the requirements for a domain ontology if it is to serve as a module in a suite of ontologies in which BFO serves as top-level ontology hub by providing a starting point for the introduction of the most general terms in those domain ontologies which are its nearest neighbours within the suite; —？specification of the role played by the terms in BFO in the formulation of definitions and axioms in ontologies at lower levels that conform to BFO. The following are outside the scope of this document: —？specification of ontology languages, including the languages RDF, OWL, and CL standardly used in ontology development; —？specification of methods for reasoning with ontologies; —？specification of translators between the notations of ontologies developed in different ontology languages.