This application provides a transmission method, a network device, and a terminal, to save resources. The method includes: determining, by a network device, downlink control information DCI, wherein the DCI includes a first request field, information in the first request field is only used to instruct to send a first reference signal on a first resource, or the information in the first request field is used to instruct to send the first reference signal on the first resource and instruct a terminal to report a measurement result of the first reference signal on the first resource, and the measurement result includes channel state information CSI and/or beam state information BSI; and sending, by the network device, the DCI to the terminal.