Cells of C. sichuanensis are Gram-negative (approximately 0.9 × 2.2 μm), rod-shaped and aerobic. Colonies appear white, smooth, circular and convex on YMA plates (pH 7.0). Growth occurs at 20–40 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 4.0–10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0) and with 0–2% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0.01%). Catalase and oxidase are negative. Cells are positive for assimilation of d-maltose, d-trehalose, d-cellobiose, gentiobiose, sucrose, d-turanose, α-d-lactose, β-methyl-d-glucoside, d-salicin, α-d-glucose, d-mannose, d-fructose, d-galactose, d-fucose, l-fucose, l-rhamnose, inosine, d-sorbitol, d-mannitol, d-arabitol, myo-Inositol, glycerol, l-alanine, pectin, l-lactic acid, d-malic acid, l-malic acid, bromo-succinic acid, γ-amino-butrytic acid, β-hydroxy-d, lbutyric acid, acetoacetic acid, propionic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, 3-methyl glucose, l-arginine, l-glutamic acid, l-histidine, l-pyroglutamic acid, l-serine, glucuronamide, quinic acid, methyl pyruvate and d-lactic acid methyl ester. Acid is produced from d-arabinose, xylitol, d-dextrinose, l-arabinol, mannitol, l-arabinose, d-ribose, d-xylose, d-galactose, d-glucose, d-fructose, d-mannose, l-rhamnose, inositol, sorbitol, esculin, salicylin, d-cellbiose, d-maltose, d-sucrose, d-trehalose, d-turanose, d-lyxose, d-tagatose, d-fucose, l-fucose and d-arabitol. The major cellular fatty acids are summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω7c/C18:1 ω6c) and C19:0 cyclo ω8c. UQ-10 is the predominant respiratory quinone. The polar lipid profile includes diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylmethyl ethanolamine (PME), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), amino phospholipid (AP), unidentified phosphoglycolipid and unidentified amino-containing lipids. The G + C content of the genomic DNA is 61.1–61.3 mol%. The type strain S101T (CGMCC 1.61309 T = GDMCC 1.3292 T = JCM 35649 T) was isolated from root nodules of Glycine max in Guangyuan, Sichuan, PR China. The GenBank accession numbers for the 16S rRNA gene and the whole genome sequences of strain S101T are ON342879 and GCA_024055605, respectively. The GenBank accession numbers of strain S153 are ON342889 for the 16S rRNA gene and GCA_023701565 for the whole genome sequence.