中文 (Zhōng wén) — Chinese language | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

中文 is the everyday word for the Chinese language. It refers mainly to written language and is broader than 汉语, which typically means spoken Chinese.

noun

Chinese language

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.

文wénwriting/language

中 refers to China, and 文 denotes writing or language.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

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.

Appears in