The 5.8×42mm / DBP87 (Chinese: 弹，步枪，普通 87; pinyin: Dàn, Bùqiāng, Pŭtōng, 87, lit. 'Cartridge, Rifle, Standard, '87') is a military bottlenecked intermediate cartridge developed in the People's Republic of China. There is limited information on this cartridge, although the People's Liberation Army claims that it is superior to the 5.56×45mm NATO and Soviet 5.45×39mm cartridges. It was officially adopted in 1987.

Another variant called the DBP88 "heavy round" was designed specifically for squad automatic weapons and designated marksman rifles. The 5.8×42mm "heavy round" cartridge has the same dimensions as the standard 5.8×42mm cartridge, but utilizes a longer streamlined bullet with a heavy steel core for increased performance at extended ranges and penetration. As of 2019, all 5.8×42mm cartridge variants have been succeeded by the DBP191 variant.

The Chinese armaments industry and the Chinese military were informed about the developments and experience that the US armed forces had during the Vietnam War with the M16 rifle and its 5.56×45mm M193 ammunition – not least because of the arms aid for Vietnam, as a result of which there was a high probability that captured US small arms and ammunition reached China. In March 1971, the so-called "Conference 713" was held in Beijing, at which future developments in the field of infantry weapons were discussed and criteria for infantry weapons and ammunition were established.

Chinese officials wanted the new ammunition to be developed to have a caliber of around 6 mm (0.24 in) and a muzzle velocity of around 1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s). Compared to the standard 7.62×39mm cartridge, recoil and weight were to be reduced whilst accuracy and terminal ballistics had to be improved. At the "744 Conference" the caliber choice was narrowed down to either 5.8 or 6 mm (0.23 or 0.24 in). Seven different case designs were presented, which required overall cartridge lengths between 56 and 59.5 mm (2.20–2.34 in). The actual development began in 1978.

In 1979, the caliber and case length choices were determined and China started the development of the 5.8×42mm cartridge and finalized the cartridge in 1987. The 5.8×42mm / DBP87 was designed to replace the Soviet 7.62×39mm cartridges used by the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The Type 95 / QBZ-95 (Chinese: 轻武器,步枪,自动, 1995; pinyin: Qīng wǔqì, Bùqiāng, Zìdòng, 1995; lit. 'Light weapon, Rifle, Automatic, 1995') 5.8 mm caliber assault rifle, firing the 5.8×42mm / DBP87 or the improved DBP95, is now the standard-issue weapon in the PLA. The DBP87 service round was quickly supplemented in 1988 by the DBP88 round which was loaded with a heavier more aerodynamic projectile for improved extended range performance.

The 5.8×42mm is an example of an international tendency towards relatively small-sized, lightweight, high-velocity military service cartridges. Cartridges like the Belgian 5.56×45mm NATO, Soviet 5.45×39mm, and Chinese 5.8×42mm allow a soldier to carry more ammunition for the same weight compared to their larger and heavier predecessor cartridges, have favourable maximum point-blank range or "battle zero" characteristics and produce relatively low bolt thrust and free recoil impulse, favouring light weight arms design and automatic fire accuracy.

In June 2004, an improved version of the 5.8×42mm cartridge entered development as the matching ammunition for the revised assault rifle, Type 95-1. Both designs were finalized in 2010 and production began the same year. This new cartridge is known as DBP10.

To improve accuracy and barrel life the barrel was also redesigned. The number of rifling grooves was increased from 4 to 6. The diameter of the lands was slightly increased from 5.8–5.84 mm (0.228–0.230 in) to 5.82–5.86 mm (0.229–0.231 in). The groove diameter was decreased from 6.01–6.07 mm (0.237–0.239 in) to 5.98–6.02 mm (0.235–0.237 in). In addition, the twist rate in the revised 95-1 assault rifle was reduced from 240–210 mm (9.4–8.3 in).These changes reduced the rifling twist rate from 41.2 to 36 calibers.