A method for receiving device to device, D2D, discovery information, the method comprising: • obtaining, by a radio resource control, RRC, layer of a D2D communication device, D2D discovery resource configuration information by using a system broadcast message or by using a dedicated RRC message, wherein the D2D discovery resource configuration information comprises a cell identity and D2D discovery resource configuration information corresponding to the cell identity; • sending, by the RRC layer of the D2D communication device, a resource instruction to a physical layer of the D2D communication device, wherein the resource instruction includes the D2D discovery resource configuration information, and the resource instruction is used to instruct the physical layer of the D2D communication device to listen to D2D discovery information on a D2D discovery resource indicated by the D2D discovery resource configuration information corresponding to the cell identity; • sending, by an upper layer of the RRC layer of the D2D communication device, a first instruction to the RRC layer; • sending, by the RRC layer of the D2D communication device, the first instruction to the physical layer of the D2D communication device, where the first instruction is a receiving instruction; • receiving, by the physical layer of the D2D communication device, the first instruction and switching from a D2D sleep state to a D2D listening state according to the first instruction, to listen to the D2D discovery information on the D2D discovery resource indicated by the D2D discovery resource configuration information corresponding to the cell identity. • obtaining, by a radio resource control, RRC, layer of a D2D communication device, D2D discovery resource configuration information by using a system broadcast message or by using a dedicated RRC message, wherein the D2D discovery resource configuration information comprises a cell identity and D2D discovery resource configuration information corresponding to the cell identity; • sending, by the RRC layer of the D2D communication device, a resource instruction to a physical layer of the D2D communication device, wherein the resource instruction includes the D2D discovery resource configuration information, and the resource instruction is used to instruct the physical layer of the D2D communication device to listen to D2D discovery information on a D2D discovery resource indicated by the D2D discovery resource configuration information corresponding to the cell identity; • sending, by an upper layer of the RRC layer of the D2D communication device, a first instruction to the RRC layer; • sending, by the RRC layer of the D2D communication device, the first instruction to the physical layer of the D2D communication device, where the first instruction is a receiving instruction; • receiving, by the physical layer of the D2D communication device, the first instruction and switching from a D2D sleep state to a D2D listening state according to the first instruction, to listen to the D2D discovery information on the D2D discovery resource indicated by the D2D discovery resource configuration information corresponding to the cell identity.