写本 (xiě běn) — hand-copied book (especially ancient manuscripts); draft manuscript

Definition

A handwritten copy of a text, typically from premodern China — used mainly for ancient manuscripts and rare books, not modern drafts. Distinct from 抄本, which emphasizes the act of copying.

noun
hand-copied book (especially ancient manuscripts)draft manuscript
Measure word · 本

Examples

  • 煌写本。
    Dūn huáng xiě běn shì yán jiū gǔ dài wén huà de zhòng yào zī liào.
    Dunhuang manuscripts are important materials for studying ancient culture.
  • 写本。
    Zhè bù xiě běn bǎo cún dé fēi cháng wán hǎo.
    This hand-copied book is very well preserved.
  • 写本。
    Tā zhèng zài zhěng lǐ yí bù táng dài xiě běn.
    He is organizing a Tang dynasty manuscript.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

写xiěwrite
本běnbook/copy

写 write specifies the kind of 本 book/copy: a hand-copied or draft manuscript.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寫; 写 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
舄
舄xì寫xiě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 寫 combines 宀 with 舄 for the sound; this note is about 寫, not the simplified 写.

Open 写 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →

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