A method for indicating a modulation and coding scheme, MCS, comprising: determining, by a network side device, whether or not a user equipment, UE, supports a downlink 256 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, 256QAM, mode in accordance with related information of the UE; indicating, by the network side device, the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP, Long Term Evolution, LTE, Release 8 to 11 in downlink control information, DCI, in the case that it is determined that the UE supports the downlink 256QAM mode, wherein the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 uses 5 bits for the MCS in the DCI, wherein the step of indicating, by the network side device, the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 comprises: indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and enabling a transport block size, TBS, index for the 256QAM mode to be different from those for the other modulation modes; or indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and enabling a TBS index for the 256QAM mode to be partially identical to those for the other modulation modes; or reducing indication information indicating the other modulation modes from the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 and the saved rows of the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11indicating the other modulation modes in the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11. determining, by a network side device, whether or not a user equipment, UE, supports a downlink 256 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, 256QAM, mode in accordance with related information of the UE; indicating, by the network side device, the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP, Long Term Evolution, LTE, Release 8 to 11 in downlink control information, DCI, in the case that it is determined that the UE supports the downlink 256QAM mode, wherein the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 uses 5 bits for the MCS in the DCI, wherein the step of indicating, by the network side device, the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 comprises: indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and enabling a transport block size, TBS, index for the 256QAM mode to be different from those for the other modulation modes; or indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and enabling a TBS index for the 256QAM mode to be partially identical to those for the other modulation modes; or reducing indication information indicating the other modulation modes from the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 and the saved rows of the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11indicating the other modulation modes in the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11. indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and enabling a transport block size, TBS, index for the 256QAM mode to be different from those for the other modulation modes; or indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and enabling a TBS index for the 256QAM mode to be partially identical to those for the other modulation modes; or reducing indication information indicating the other modulation modes from the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 in the DCI, and indicating the 256QAM mode using the last three rows of the MCS table, rows 29-31, according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11 and the saved rows of the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11indicating the other modulation modes in the MCS table according to the 3GPP LTE Release 8 to 11.