Measurements of nitrous acid (HONO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Beijing City have been performed by means of a developed differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) system based on photodiode array (PDA), during the autumn of 2004. HONO and NO2 were simultaneously identified by their characteristic absorption bands in the spectral region between 337 nm and 372 nm with high sensibility and time resolution. The concentrations of HONO exhibit obviously diurnal variation with a nocturnal maximum and a daytime minimum. The highest HONO value up to 11.8 microg/m3 was observed during the night of 2/3 September. Possible sources of the observed HONO were discussed. Good correlation to NO2 indicates that NO2 is a main source component. The measurement also shows direct emission of HONO is an important source in strongly polluted urban area.