Objective The present study validated the combined version of the 8‐item Automatic Thought Questionnaire (ATQ) and 10 positive items from the ATQ‐revised among Chinese university students. Method A total of 412 Mainland Chinese university students were recruited in Hong Kong by an online survey. Results A 14‐item Chinese ATQ was derived via item analysis. Satisfactory internal consistency reliability and good split‐half reliability were obtained. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a 3‐correlated‐factor solution for the Chinese ATQ: negative thought, positive thought (emotional), and positive thought (cognitive). The negative ATQ subscale score was positively correlated with negative affect, and negatively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction. The two positive ATQ subscale scores were negatively correlated with negative affect, and positively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction. Conclusion The 14‐item ATQ is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring automatic thoughts in the Chinese context of Hong Kong.