TongTong
Sign in

作文 (zuò wén) — composition (student essay); to write an essay

Definition

作文 (zuò wén) means a student essay / to write an essay — everyday schoolwork. 写作 is broader and more literary, for any writing. 撰写 is formal, for official documents.

composition (student essay)to write an essay
Measure word · 篇

Examples

  • 作文。
    Lǎo shī biǎo yáng le wǒ de zuò wén.
    The teacher praised my composition.
  • 作文。
    Zhè piān zuò wén xiě dé hěn hǎo.
    This composition is very well written.
  • 作文。
    Qǐng tóng xué men zuò wén.
    Please write an essay, class.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

作zuòwrite; make
文wéntext; essay

作 means to write or make, and 文 refers to a text, together to write an essay or a composition.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 5School & EducationReading & Writing

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.