碑文 (bēi wén) — inscription on a stone tablet (commemorative or historical)

Definition

碑文 is the text carved or written on a 碑 (stone tablet) — used for commemorative inscriptions, epitaphs, and historical records carved in stone.

noun
inscription on a stone tablet (commemorative or historical)

Examples

  • 碑文。
    Zhè kuài shí bēi shàng de bēi wén yǐ jīng mó hu bù qīng le.
    The inscription on this stone tablet has become illegible.
  • 碑文。
    Kǎo gǔ xué jiā zǐ xì yán jiū le mù zhōng de bēi wén.
    The archaeologists carefully studied the inscription in the tomb.
  • 碑文。
    Zhè zuò sì miào lǐ bǎo cún zhe xǔ duō táng dài de bēi wén.
    This temple preserves many Tang dynasty stone tablet 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.

碑bēistone tablet
文wénwriting

碑 tablet and 文 writing together name text carved on a stone tablet.

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
石石shístone
Sound part声符shēngfú
卑
卑bēi碑bēi
Same sound today

碑 shows 石 (stone) beside 卑, with 卑 giving the sound.

Open 碑 →

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 →

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