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斯文 (sī wén) — the refined culture of the literati; scholarly refinement

Definition

斯文 refers to the cultivated refinement of the classical scholar (读书人) — a cultural ideal, not just good manners. At HSK 7 it stays close to its literati sense; only loosely extends to meaning 'gentle/refined' in modern usage.

noun
the refined culture of the literatischolarly refinement

Examples

  • 斯文。
    sī wén Shì gǔ dài dú shū rén de jīng shén zhuī qiú.
    Literati culture was the spiritual pursuit of ancient scholars.
  • 斯文。
    Tā yì shēng zhì lì yú chuán chéng sī wén.
    He devoted his life to passing on literati culture.
  • ，斯文。
    Xiàn dài shè huì zhōng, sī wén sì hū yuè lái yuè shǎo jiàn.
    In modern society, literati culture seems increasingly rare.

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.

斯sīthis
文wénculture or refinement

斯 means this and 文 means culture or refinement, giving the idea of this cultured tradition.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 斯 →

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

The current form 文 shows a man with head, arms, legs, and chest; the tattoo marks on the chest are no longer drawn.

Open 文 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6Chinese Culture & Customs

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