Disclosed is a system message receiving method, comprising: receiving a minimum system message transmitted by a base station; determining a scheduling state of first other system messages in other system messages according to first indication information; if all messages in the first other system messages are changed from being scheduled to not being scheduled, ending the process of requesting the first other system messages; and if some of the first other system messages are changed from being scheduled to not being scheduled, ending the process of requesting the first other system messages, and sending to the base station a request of obtaining some messages that are still scheduled in the first other system messages, alternatively, continuing the process of requesting the first other system messages, and sending, after the process of requesting the first other system messages is ended, to the base station the request for obtaining some messages that are still scheduled in the first other system messages. According to embodiments of the present invention, an appropriate operation may be executed and other system messages can be received in time when the scheduling situations of the other system messages are changed.