DBCS literals have the following format:

Format
>>-G"--DBCS-literal--"-----------------------------------------><

Format
>>-N"--DBCS-literal--"-----------------------------------------><
- G" or N"
- The opening delimiter for a DBCS literal.
- "
- The closing delimiter for a DBCS literal.
When the NATIONALPICNLIT PROCESS option is in effect,
the opening delimiter N"
or N' identifies a national literal,
and the rules specified in
Basic National Literals apply.
In general, the rules for forming a nonnumeric literal also apply to DBCS literals. The maximum length of DBCS literals, however, is 28 double-byte characters, and they cannot be continued across lines.
DBCS literals can be specified in the Data Division:
- In the VALUE clause of DBCS data description entries. If you specify a DBCS literal in a VALUE clause for a data item, the length of the literal must not exceed the size indicated by the data item's PICTURE clause. Explicitly defining a DBCS data item as USAGE DISPLAY-1 specifies that the data item is to be stored in character form, one character to each 2 bytes.
- With the JUSTIFIED clause.
DBCS literals can be specified in the Procedure Division:
- As the sending item when a DBCS or group item is the receiving item.
- In a relation condition when the comparand is a DBCS or group item.
- As the figurative constants SPACE/SPACES, ALL SPACE/SPACES, or ALL followed by a DBCS literal. These are the only figurative constants that can be DBCS literals.
- As an argument to an intrinsic function that supports DBCS.
DBCS literals can be specified wherever nonnumeric literals are allowed,
except as a literal in the following:
- Identification Division
- Environment Division
- ALPHABET clause
- ASSIGN clause
- CLASS clause
- CURRENCY SIGN clause
- LINKAGE clause
- PADDING CHARACTER clause
- RERUN clause
- Procedure Division
- CALL statement (program-name)
- CANCEL statement
- END PROGRAM header
- STOP statement
- DROP statement
- ACQUIRE statement
- COPY
- COPY statement (text-name)
- COPY statement (library-name).