diff --git a/src/corelib/tools/qstring.cpp b/src/corelib/tools/qstring.cpp
index e8eb04b598..fdde0955dd 100644
--- a/src/corelib/tools/qstring.cpp
+++ b/src/corelib/tools/qstring.cpp
@@ -6668,6 +6668,28 @@ QStringList QString::split(const QString &sep, SplitBehavior behavior, Qt::CaseS
     return splitString<QStringList>(*this, &QString::mid, sep, behavior, cs, sep.size());
 }
 
+/*!
+    Splits the string into substring references wherever \a sep occurs, and
+    returns the list of those strings. If \a sep does not match
+    anywhere in the string, splitRef() returns a single-element vector
+    containing this string reference.
+
+    \a cs specifies whether \a sep should be matched case
+    sensitively or case insensitively.
+
+    If \a behavior is QString::SkipEmptyParts, empty entries don't
+    appear in the result. By default, empty entries are kept.
+
+    \note All references are valid as long this string is alive. Destroying this
+    string will cause all references be dangling pointers.
+
+    \since 5.4
+    \sa QStringRef split()
+*/
+QVector<QStringRef> QString::splitRef(const QString &sep, SplitBehavior behavior, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs) const
+{
+    return splitString<QVector<QStringRef> >(*this, &QString::midRef, sep, behavior, cs, sep.size());
+}
 /*!
     \overload
 */
@@ -6676,6 +6698,15 @@ QStringList QString::split(QChar sep, SplitBehavior behavior, Qt::CaseSensitivit
     return splitString<QStringList>(*this, &QString::mid, sep, behavior, cs, 1);
 }
 
+/*!
+    \overload
+    \since 5.4
+*/
+QVector<QStringRef> QString::splitRef(QChar sep, SplitBehavior behavior, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs) const
+{
+    return splitString<QVector<QStringRef> >(*this, &QString::midRef, sep, behavior, cs, 1);
+}
+
 #ifndef QT_NO_REGEXP
 namespace {
 template<class ResultList, typename MidMethod>
@@ -6729,6 +6760,25 @@ QStringList QString::split(const QRegExp &rx, SplitBehavior behavior) const
 {
     return splitString<QStringList>(*this, &QString::mid, rx, behavior);
 }
+
+/*!
+    \overload
+    \since 5.4
+
+    Splits the string into substring references wherever the regular expression
+    \a rx matches, and returns the list of those strings. If \a rx
+    does not match anywhere in the string, splitRef() returns a
+    single-element vector containing this string reference.
+
+    \note All references are valid as long this string is alive. Destroying this
+    string will cause all references be dangling pointers.
+
+    \sa QStringRef split()
+*/
+QVector<QStringRef> QString::splitRef(const QRegExp &rx, SplitBehavior behavior) const
+{
+    return splitString<QVector<QStringRef> >(*this, &QString::midRef, rx, behavior);
+}
 #endif
 
 #ifndef QT_NO_REGULAREXPRESSION
@@ -6793,6 +6843,25 @@ QStringList QString::split(const QRegularExpression &re, SplitBehavior behavior)
 {
     return splitString<QStringList>(*this, &QString::mid, re, behavior);
 }
+
+/*!
+    \overload
+    \since 5.4
+
+    Splits the string into substring references wherever the regular expression
+    \a re matches, and returns the list of those strings. If \a re
+    does not match anywhere in the string, splitRef() returns a
+    single-element vector containing this string reference.
+
+    \note All references are valid as long this string is alive. Destroying this
+    string will cause all references be dangling pointers.
+
+    \sa split() QStringRef
+*/
+QVector<QStringRef> QString::splitRef(const QRegularExpression &re, SplitBehavior behavior) const
+{
+    return splitString<QVector<QStringRef> >(*this, &QString::midRef, re, behavior);
+}
 #endif // QT_BOOTSTRAPPED
 #endif // QT_NO_REGULAREXPRESSION
 
diff --git a/src/corelib/tools/qstring.h b/src/corelib/tools/qstring.h
index 3afd68af1f..21b64f5006 100644
--- a/src/corelib/tools/qstring.h
+++ b/src/corelib/tools/qstring.h
@@ -441,13 +441,19 @@ public:
 
     QStringList split(const QString &sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts,
                       Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
+    QVector<QStringRef> splitRef(const QString &sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts,
+                      Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
     QStringList split(QChar sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts,
                       Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
+    QVector<QStringRef> splitRef(QChar sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts,
+                      Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
 #ifndef QT_NO_REGEXP
     QStringList split(const QRegExp &sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
+    QVector<QStringRef> splitRef(const QRegExp &sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
 #endif
 #ifndef QT_NO_REGULAREXPRESSION
     QStringList split(const QRegularExpression &sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
+    QVector<QStringRef> splitRef(const QRegularExpression &sep, SplitBehavior behavior = KeepEmptyParts) const Q_REQUIRED_RESULT;
 #endif
     enum NormalizationForm {
         NormalizationForm_D,
diff --git a/tests/auto/corelib/tools/qstring/tst_qstring.cpp b/tests/auto/corelib/tools/qstring/tst_qstring.cpp
index 37cb3754d3..2b2b436015 100644
--- a/tests/auto/corelib/tools/qstring/tst_qstring.cpp
+++ b/tests/auto/corelib/tools/qstring/tst_qstring.cpp
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ class tst_QString : public QObject
 {
     Q_OBJECT
 
+    template<typename List, class RegExp>
+    void split_regexp(const QString &string, const QString &pattern, QStringList result);
+    template<typename List>
+    void split(const QString &string, const QString &separator, QStringList result);
 public:
     tst_QString();
 public slots:
@@ -221,6 +225,14 @@ private slots:
     void split();
     void split_regexp_data();
     void split_regexp();
+    void split_regularexpression_data();
+    void split_regularexpression();
+    void splitRef_data();
+    void splitRef();
+    void splitRef_regexp_data();
+    void splitRef_regexp();
+    void splitRef_regularexpression_data();
+    void splitRef_regularexpression();
     void fromUtf16_data();
     void fromUtf16();
     void fromUtf16_char16_data();
@@ -4989,16 +5001,49 @@ void tst_QString::split_data()
     QTest::newRow("sep-empty") << "abc" << "" << (QStringList() << "" << "a" << "b" << "c" << "");
 }
 
-void tst_QString::split()
+template<class> struct StringSplitWrapper;
+template<> struct StringSplitWrapper<QString>
 {
-    QFETCH(QString, str);
-    QFETCH(QString, sep);
-    QFETCH(QStringList, result);
+    const QString &string;
 
+    QStringList split(const QString &sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return string.split(sep, behavior, cs); }
+    QStringList split(QChar sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return string.split(sep, behavior, cs); }
+    QStringList split(const QRegExp &sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts) const { return string.split(sep, behavior); }
+    QStringList split(const QRegularExpression &sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts) const { return string.split(sep, behavior); }
+};
+
+template<> struct StringSplitWrapper<QStringRef>
+{
+    const QString &string;
+    QVector<QStringRef> split(const QString &sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return string.splitRef(sep, behavior, cs); }
+    QVector<QStringRef> split(QChar sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return string.splitRef(sep, behavior, cs); }
+    QVector<QStringRef> split(const QRegExp &sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts) const { return string.splitRef(sep, behavior); }
+    QVector<QStringRef> split(const QRegularExpression &sep, QString::SplitBehavior behavior = QString::KeepEmptyParts) const { return string.splitRef(sep, behavior); }
+};
+
+static bool operator ==(const QStringList &left, const QVector<QStringRef> &right)
+{
+    if (left.size() != right.size())
+        return false;
+
+    QStringList::const_iterator iLeft = left.constBegin();
+    QVector<QStringRef>::const_iterator iRight = right.constBegin();
+    for (; iLeft != left.end(); ++iLeft, ++iRight) {
+        if (*iLeft != *iRight)
+            return false;
+    }
+    return true;
+}
+static inline bool operator ==(const QVector<QStringRef> &left, const QStringList &right) { return right == left; }
+
+template<class List>
+void tst_QString::split(const QString &string, const QString &sep, QStringList result)
+{
     QRegExp rx = QRegExp(QRegExp::escape(sep));
     QRegularExpression re(QRegularExpression::escape(sep));
 
-    QStringList list;
+    List list;
+    StringSplitWrapper<typename List::value_type> str = {string};
 
     list = str.split(sep);
     QVERIFY(list == result);
@@ -5035,6 +5080,27 @@ void tst_QString::split()
     }
 }
 
+void tst_QString::split()
+{
+    QFETCH(QString, str);
+    QFETCH(QString, sep);
+    QFETCH(QStringList, result);
+    split<QStringList>(str, sep, result);
+}
+
+void tst_QString::splitRef_data()
+{
+    split_data();
+}
+
+void tst_QString::splitRef()
+{
+    QFETCH(QString, str);
+    QFETCH(QString, sep);
+    QFETCH(QStringList, result);
+    split<QVector<QStringRef> >(str, sep, result);
+}
+
 void tst_QString::split_regexp_data()
 {
     QTest::addColumn<QString>("string");
@@ -5054,24 +5120,66 @@ void tst_QString::split_regexp_data()
                             << (QStringList() << "" << "Now" << ": " << "this" << " " << "sentence" << " " << "fragment" << ".");
 }
 
+template<class List, class RegExp>
+void tst_QString::split_regexp(const QString &_string, const QString &pattern, QStringList result)
+{
+    List list;
+    StringSplitWrapper<typename List::value_type> string = {_string};
+
+    list = string.split(RegExp(pattern));
+    QVERIFY(list == result);
+
+    result.removeAll(QString());
+
+    list = string.split(RegExp(pattern), QString::SkipEmptyParts);
+    QVERIFY(list == result);
+}
+
 void tst_QString::split_regexp()
 {
     QFETCH(QString, string);
     QFETCH(QString, pattern);
     QFETCH(QStringList, result);
+    split_regexp<QStringList, QRegExp>(string, pattern, result);
+}
 
-    QStringList list;
-    list = string.split(QRegExp(pattern));
-    QCOMPARE(list, result);
-    list = string.split(QRegularExpression(pattern));
-    QCOMPARE(list, result);
+void tst_QString::split_regularexpression_data()
+{
+    split_regexp_data();
+}
 
-    result.removeAll(QString());
+void tst_QString::split_regularexpression()
+{
+    QFETCH(QString, string);
+    QFETCH(QString, pattern);
+    QFETCH(QStringList, result);
+    split_regexp<QStringList, QRegularExpression>(string, pattern, result);
+}
 
-    list = string.split(QRegExp(pattern), QString::SkipEmptyParts);
-    QCOMPARE(list, result);
-    list = string.split(QRegularExpression(pattern), QString::SkipEmptyParts);
-    QCOMPARE(list, result);
+void tst_QString::splitRef_regularexpression_data()
+{
+    split_regexp_data();
+}
+
+void tst_QString::splitRef_regularexpression()
+{
+    QFETCH(QString, string);
+    QFETCH(QString, pattern);
+    QFETCH(QStringList, result);
+    split_regexp<QVector<QStringRef>, QRegularExpression>(string, pattern, result);
+}
+
+void tst_QString::splitRef_regexp_data()
+{
+    split_regexp_data();
+}
+
+void tst_QString::splitRef_regexp()
+{
+    QFETCH(QString, string);
+    QFETCH(QString, pattern);
+    QFETCH(QStringList, result);
+    split_regexp<QVector<QStringRef>, QRegExp>(string, pattern, result);
 }
 
 void tst_QString::fromUtf16_data()