Background <p>Even though massive population decline has become a major issue currently facing Chinese society, an academically recognized tool for evaluating the childbearing motivation of females of childbearing age in China is nonexistent.</p> Aims <p>The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Chinese version of the Childbearing Questionnaire (CBQ-C) and then test and implement the tool.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study of 1331 nurses and 620 nursing students was conducted. The improved Brislin’s recommendations were followed in the translation, and validity was assessed using structural validity, content validity and convergent validity. Reliability was evaluated by internal consistency reliability, and the study was conducted and reported following the STROBE checklist and recommendations for reporting the results of tool development and testing studies.</p> Results <p>The CBQ-C exhibits satisfactory construct validity, content validity and convergent validity. A two-factor (positive childbearing motivation and negative childbearing motivation) structure was obtained by exploratory factor analysis, with a total variance contribution of 69.25%. The Cronbach’s alpha of the CBQ-C was 0.944, and the Cronbach’s alpha values of the PCM and NCM dimensions were 0.966 and 0.963, respectively, indicating satisfactory internal consistency reliability. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable fit for the two-factor structure.</p> Conclusions <p>The 29-item CBQ-C is a valid and reliable tool with satisfactory psychometric properties, suggesting that the tool can be used to measure female nurses and nursing students’ childbearing motivations in the context of China’s three-child policy.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>