Piece · file · direction · target
Chinese notation names the piece, its starting file (each side counts 1–9 from its OWN right, so Red's file 2 is the h-file), then the direction — 进 forward, 退 back, 平 along the rank — and finally the target file, or the step count for straight moves. So 炮二平五 reads: the cannon on Red's file 2 slides across to file 5. When two identical pieces share a file, 前 (front) and 后 (rear) take the place of the number. Now play the move itself.