This application discloses a sequence generating method and apparatus, and relates to the field of communications technologies, to resolve a problem that a PAPR of a DMRS symbol is higher than that of a data symbol. An initialization factor of a first sequence is obtained, where the initialization factor is associated with a first parameter; and the first sequence is generated based on the initialization factor. In addition, the first parameter is a port number, or the first parameter is a code division multiplexing CDM group identity.