Objective To translate the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) into Chinese，to examine its reliability and validity, and to provide a valid tool for assessing social frailty of older adults. Methods The SVI was translated, synthesized and back-translated according to Brislin′s translation model; the Chinese version SVI was formed after cross-cultural adaptation through expert consultation and pilot testing. A total of 358 elderly people from 4 communities in Taiyuan were surveyed by convenience sampling method to evaluate the reliability of the Chinese version SVI. Results The Chinese version SVI consisted of 7 dimensions totaling 32 items. The Cronbach′s α coefficient of the scale was 0.826; the item-level Content Validity Index (CVI) values ranged 0.875-1.000 and the scale-level CVI value was 0.961. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the feelings portion of the scale(namely dimension C，D，E and G), and four common factors were extracted, with the cumulative variance contribution rate being 52.739%. Conclusion The Chinese version SVI has good reliability and validity and can be used to measure social frailty of elderly people living in the community.