The invention belongs to the field of electric power system and relates to a polyphase circuit general harmonic detection method based on instantaneous symmetrical component transformation. The polyphase circuit general harmonic detection method basically includes the general harmonic voltage detection algorithm and the general harmonic current detection algorithm. The general harmonic voltage detection algorithm includes the voltage instantaneous symmetrical component transformation algorithm, the voltage sine algebraic transformation algorithm, the voltage average filtering algorithm, the voltage initial phase algorithm, the voltage reconstruction algorithm and the general harmonic voltage computational algorithm. The general harmonic current detection algorithm includes the current instantaneous symmetrical component transformation algorithm, the current cosine algebraic transformation algorithm, the current average filtering algorithm, the current initial phase algorithm, the voltage-current phase difference algorithm, the current reconstruction algorithm and the general harmonic current computational algorithm. The poly circuit general harmonic detection method is simple in phase locking, strong in real-time effect, high in accuracy, simple in algorithm, easy to implement, economic, wide in application range and the like.