A transformation rule generation supporting apparatus is configured to support generation of a transformation rule for transforming a transformation-source structured document having a hierarchical structure based on physical disposition of data in the document into a transformation-target structured document having a hierarchical structure based on a logical structure of data content. The apparatus includes a user interface configured to generate, display, and edit graphical representation of the transformation rule; and a restoration unit configured to determine a transformation rule in text form from the graphical representation, wherein, for the one-to-many transformation rule, the restoration unit restores the reduced rule by determining, according to an output sort order, the output order in which each of the output elements represented by the plurality of nodes is output for the input element represented by the one node.