diff --git a/llvm/include/llvm/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.h b/llvm/include/llvm/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.h
--- a/llvm/include/llvm/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.h
+++ b/llvm/include/llvm/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.h
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@
 struct Symbol {
   StringRef SymbolName;
   llvm::yaml::Hex64 Value; // Symbol value; storage class-dependent.
-  StringRef SectionName;
+  Optional<StringRef> SectionName;
+  Optional<uint16_t> SectionIndex;
   llvm::yaml::Hex16 Type;
   XCOFF::StorageClass StorageClass;
   uint8_t NumberOfAuxEntries;
diff --git a/llvm/lib/Object/XCOFFObjectFile.cpp b/llvm/lib/Object/XCOFFObjectFile.cpp
--- a/llvm/lib/Object/XCOFFObjectFile.cpp
+++ b/llvm/lib/Object/XCOFFObjectFile.cpp
@@ -592,7 +592,9 @@
 
 Expected<DataRefImpl> XCOFFObjectFile::getSectionByNum(int16_t Num) const {
   if (Num <= 0 || Num > getNumberOfSections())
-    return errorCodeToError(object_error::invalid_section_index);
+    return createStringError(object_error::invalid_section_index,
+                             "the section index (" + Twine(Num) +
+                                 ") is invalid");
 
   DataRefImpl DRI;
   DRI.p = getWithOffset(getSectionHeaderTableAddress(),
diff --git a/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFEmitter.cpp b/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFEmitter.cpp
--- a/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFEmitter.cpp
+++ b/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFEmitter.cpp
@@ -387,8 +387,23 @@
       }
       W.write<uint32_t>(YamlSym.Value);
     }
-    W.write<int16_t>(
-        YamlSym.SectionName.size() ? SectionIndexMap[YamlSym.SectionName] : 0);
+    if (YamlSym.SectionName) {
+      if (!SectionIndexMap.count(*YamlSym.SectionName)) {
+        ErrHandler("the SectionName " + *YamlSym.SectionName +
+                   " specified in the symbol does not exist");
+        return false;
+      }
+      if (YamlSym.SectionIndex &&
+          SectionIndexMap[*YamlSym.SectionName] != *YamlSym.SectionIndex) {
+        ErrHandler("the SectionName " + *YamlSym.SectionName +
+                   " and the SectionIndex (" + Twine(*YamlSym.SectionIndex) +
+                   ") refer to different sections");
+        return false;
+      }
+      W.write<int16_t>(SectionIndexMap[*YamlSym.SectionName]);
+    } else {
+      W.write<int16_t>(YamlSym.SectionIndex ? *YamlSym.SectionIndex : 0);
+    }
     W.write<uint16_t>(YamlSym.Type);
     W.write<uint8_t>(YamlSym.StorageClass);
     W.write<uint8_t>(YamlSym.NumberOfAuxEntries);
diff --git a/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.cpp b/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.cpp
--- a/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.cpp
+++ b/llvm/lib/ObjectYAML/XCOFFYAML.cpp
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@
   IO.mapOptional("Name", S.SymbolName);
   IO.mapOptional("Value", S.Value);
   IO.mapOptional("Section", S.SectionName);
+  IO.mapOptional("SectionIndex", S.SectionIndex);
   IO.mapOptional("Type", S.Type);
   IO.mapOptional("StorageClass", S.StorageClass);
   IO.mapOptional("NumberOfAuxEntries", S.NumberOfAuxEntries);
diff --git a/llvm/test/tools/yaml2obj/XCOFF/symbol-section.yaml b/llvm/test/tools/yaml2obj/XCOFF/symbol-section.yaml
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/llvm/test/tools/yaml2obj/XCOFF/symbol-section.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+## Test the behavior of the symbol reference section.
+
+## Case1: a symbol can reference a section by SectionName or SectionIndex.
+# RUN: yaml2obj --docnum=1 %s -o %t1
+# RUN: llvm-readobj %t1 -s | FileCheck %s --check-prefix=CASE1
+
+# CASE1:      Symbols [
+# CASE1-NEXT:   Symbol {
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Index: 0
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Name: 
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Value: 0x0
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Section: .text
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Type: 0x0
+# CASE1-NEXT:     StorageClass: C_NULL (0x0)
+# CASE1-NEXT:     NumberOfAuxEntries: 0
+# CASE1-NEXT:   }
+# CASE1-NEXT:   Symbol {
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Index: 1
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Name: 
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Value: 0x0
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Section: .text
+# CASE1-NEXT:     Type: 0x0
+# CASE1-NEXT:     StorageClass: C_NULL (0x0)
+# CASE1-NEXT:     NumberOfAuxEntries: 0
+# CASE1-NEXT:   }
+# CASE1-NEXT: ]
+
+--- !XCOFF
+FileHeader:
+  MagicNumber: 0x1DF
+Sections:
+  - Name: .text
+Symbols:
+  - Section: .text
+  - SectionIndex: 1
+
+## Case 2: a symbol can reference a section by both SectionName and SectionIndex.
+# RUN: yaml2obj --docnum=2 -DSECNAME='.text' -DSECINDEX=1 %s -o %t2
+# RUN: llvm-readobj %t2 -s | FileCheck %s --check-prefix=CASE2
+
+# CASE2:      Symbols [
+# CASE2-NEXT:   Symbol {
+# CASE2-NEXT:     Index: 0
+# CASE2-NEXT:     Name: 
+# CASE2-NEXT:     Value: 0x0
+# CASE2-NEXT:     Section: .text
+# CASE2-NEXT:     Type: 0x0
+# CASE2-NEXT:     StorageClass: C_NULL (0x0)
+# CASE2-NEXT:     NumberOfAuxEntries: 0
+# CASE2-NEXT:   }
+# CASE2-NEXT: ]
+
+--- !XCOFF
+FileHeader:
+  MagicNumber: 0x1DF
+Sections:
+  - Name: .text
+Symbols:
+  - Section:      [[SECNAME=<none>]]
+    SectionIndex: [[SECINDEX=<none>]]
+
+## Case3: if both Section and SectionIndex are specified, but the two
+##        values refer to different sections, an error will be reported.
+# RUN: not yaml2obj --docnum=2 -DSECNAME='.text' -DSECINDEX=0 %s -o %t3 2>&1 \
+# RUN:   | FileCheck %s --check-prefix=CASE3
+
+# CASE3: the SectionName .text and the SectionIndex (0) refer to different sections
+
+## Case4: yaml2obj allows the specification of an invalid SectionIndex.
+## TODO: the error message should include the symbol name or index.
+# RUN: yaml2obj --docnum=2 -DSECINDEX=2 %s -o %t4
+# RUN: not llvm-readobj %t4 -s 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --check-prefix=CASE4
+
+# CASE4: the section index (2) is invalid
+
+## Case 5: if a symbol references a non-existent section by SectionName,
+##         an error will be reported.
+# RUN: not yaml2obj --docnum=2 -DSECNAME='.data' %s -o %t5 2>&1 \
+# RUN:   | FileCheck %s --check-prefix=CASE5
+
+# CASE5: the SectionName .data specified in the symbol does not exist