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本书 (běn shū) — this book (formal/literary pronoun)

Definition

Formal written 'this book,' common in academic, literary, or publishing contexts. As a pronoun, it stands in for the book being discussed, more formal than 这本书.

pronoun
this book (formal/literary pronoun)

Examples

  • 本书。
    běn shū Cóng duō gè jiǎo dù fēn xī le wèn tí.
    This book analyzes the problem from multiple perspectives.
  • 本书。
    běn shū Shì zuò zhě de dì wǔ bù xiǎo shuō.
    This book is the author's fifth novel.
  • 本书。
    Dú zhě kě tōng guò běn shū liǎo jiě gèng duō xìn xī.
    Readers can learn more through this book.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →
Appears in
Reading & Writing

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