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语文 (yǔ wén) — language and literature; (in China) Chinese as a school subject (language arts)

Definition

语文 refers to the school subject "Chinese language arts" — broader than 文学 (just literature) and narrower than 文 (culture/literary tradition in general).

noun
language and literature(in China) Chinese as a school subject (language arts)

Examples

  • 语文，。
    yǔ wén Bù jǐn jiào wǒ men yǔ yán, yě jiào wǒ men wén xué.
    Chinese language arts teaches us not only language but also literature.
  • 语文。
    Wǒ dì di de yǔ wén chéng jì hěn hǎo.
    My younger brother's grades in Chinese are very good.
  • 语文。
    Wǒ xiǎng chéng wéi yí wèi yǔ wén lǎo shī.
    I want to become a Chinese language arts teacher.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

语yǔlanguage
文wénliterature

语 (spoken language) and 文 (written literature) combine to mean language and literature.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
吾
吾wú語yǔ
Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Open 语 →

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 5LanguageSchool Subjects

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