元建模，在软件工程和系统工程中，就是分析，构建和开发框架，规则，约束，模型和对问题的预定义类建模适用的理论。顾名思义，这正符合元和建模的概念。

元建模是在一特定领域内构建“概念”(事件、条件等)集合。模型是真实世界中现象的抽象，元模型又是另一种抽象，关注模型本身的属性，所以可以把一个元模型看做对模型的抽象。模型应该服从它元模型的定义，如同一种计算机进程服从这种编程语言语法定义一样。

元模型的应用：

因为元建模的“元”特性，其实践和理论都与科学学，元哲学，超理论和系统学，和元意识相关。这一概念可应用于数学，并已实际应用于计算机科学和计算机工程/软件工程的相关领域。

Metamodel or surrogate model is a model of a model, and metamodeling is the process of generating such metamodels. Metamodeling or meta-modeling is the analysis, construction and development of the frames, rules, constraints, models and theories applicable and useful for modeling a predefined class of problems. As its name implies, this concept applies the notions of meta- and modeling in software engineering and systems engineering. Metamodels are of many types and have diverse applications. A thorough discussion is presented in the following text.