TongTong
Sign in

金文 (jīn wén) — bronze inscriptions (ancient Chinese writing on ritual bronze vessels)

Definition

Inscriptions cast or carved onto ritual bronze vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties — the earliest large body of systematic Chinese writing, predating 甲骨文 (oracle bone script) in date only because of its later use.

noun
bronze inscriptions (ancient Chinese writing on ritual bronze vessels)

Examples

  • 金文。
    Zhè jiàn qīng tóng qì shàng de jīn wén bǎo cún dé hěn wán zhěng.
    The bronze inscriptions on this vessel are very well preserved.
  • 金文。
    Yán jiū jīn wén duì liǎo jiě zhōu dài lì shǐ fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    Studying bronze inscriptions is very important for understanding Zhou dynasty history.
  • 金文。
    Bó wù guǎn zhǎn chū le dà liàng dài yǒu jīn wén de qīng tóng qì.
    The museum exhibited a large number of bronze vessels with inscriptions.

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.

金jīnbronze
文wénwriting

金 (bronze) plus 文 (writing) gives inscriptions on bronze.

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.

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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
HistoryLanguage

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.