OBJECTIVE: To translate the Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES) into Chinese and establish its psychometric properties among Hong Kong Chinese people. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A two-stage study design, incorporating qualitative and quantitative components, determined the cultural equivalency and content validity of the translated scale and established the psychometric properties of the Chinese DES (C-DES) in 207 patients. RESULTS: Psychometric analysis supported the reliability and validity of the 20-item Chinese DES (C-DES-20) and five subscales: overcoming barriers (alpha = 0.89), determining suitable methods (alpha = 0.79), achieving goals (alpha = 0.78), obtaining support (alpha = 0.78), and coping (alpha = 0.76). The test-retest reliability of the intraclass correlations was satisfactory when a subsample of 20 patients was tested after a 2-week interval. There was criterion validity between the global scale and metabolic control (HbA(1c)) of respondents with type 2 diabetes (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The C-DES-20 is a reliable and valid outcome measure for patient education and psychosocial interventions among Hong Kong Chinese people with diabetes.