A physical downlink control channel transmission method, comprising: obtaining, by a terminal, a parameter set for transmitting a first physical downlink control channel by a base station, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is used for sending same downlink control information, DCI, in at least R subframes, and R is an integer greater than 1; determining, by the terminal according to the parameter set, N candidate locations for transmitting the first physical downlink control channel by the base station, wherein the candidate location comprises the R subframes, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; monitoring, by the terminal at the N candidate locations, whether the base station sends the first physical downlink control channel; and receiving, by the terminal at a first candidate location, the first physical downlink control channel sent by the base station, wherein the N candidate locations comprise the first candidate location; wherein the parameter set comprises information indicating the R subframes occupied for transmitting the first physical downlink control channel, and the following parameters in each of the R subframes: a quantity of enhanced control channel elements, ECCEs, constituting the first physical downlink control channel, indices of the ECCEs, a first parameter used to determine a scrambling code sequence for scrambling a block of bits transmitted on the first physical downlink control channel, a second parameter used to determine a demodulation reference signal associated with the first physical downlink control channel, an antenna port number associated with the first physical downlink control channel, and a transmission type of the first physical downlink control channel. obtaining, by a terminal, a parameter set for transmitting a first physical downlink control channel by a base station, wherein the first physical downlink control channel is used for sending same downlink control information, DCI, in at least R subframes, and R is an integer greater than 1; determining, by the terminal according to the parameter set, N candidate locations for transmitting the first physical downlink control channel by the base station, wherein the candidate location comprises the R subframes, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; monitoring, by the terminal at the N candidate locations, whether the base station sends the first physical downlink control channel; and receiving, by the terminal at a first candidate location, the first physical downlink control channel sent by the base station, wherein the N candidate locations comprise the first candidate location; wherein the parameter set comprises information indicating the R subframes occupied for transmitting the first physical downlink control channel, and the following parameters in each of the R subframes: a quantity of enhanced control channel elements, ECCEs, constituting the first physical downlink control channel, indices of the ECCEs, a first parameter used to determine a scrambling code sequence for scrambling a block of bits transmitted on the first physical downlink control channel, a second parameter used to determine a demodulation reference signal associated with the first physical downlink control channel, an antenna port number associated with the first physical downlink control channel, and a transmission type of the first physical downlink control channel.