Donate

"Classical Chinese writing" Chinese-English Dictionary

LOADING the writing area ...
(may take time at 1st time)

First write the character here with your mouse *

* Please pay attention to the strokes order.

Chinese Pinyin Translation
文言文 wén yán wén Classical Chinese writing syn
Chinese Pinyin Translation
格 gé square / frame / rule / (legal) case / style / character / standard / pattern / (grammar) case / (classical) to obstruct / to hinder / (classical) to arrive / to come / (classical) to investigate / to study exhaustively syn
古文 gǔ wén old language / the Classics / Classical Chinese as a literary model, esp. in Tang and Song prose / Classical Chinese as a school subject syn
乎 hū (classical particle similar to 於|于[yu2]) in / at / from / because / than / (classical final particle similar to 嗎|吗[ma5], 吧[ba5], 呢[ne5], expressing question, doubt or astonishment) syn
王肃 王肅 wáng sù Wang Su (c. 195-256), classical scholar of Cao Wei dynasty, believed to have forged several classical texts
复古 復古 fù gǔ to return to old ways (a Confucian aspiration) / to turn back the clock / neoclassical school during Tang and Song associated with classical writing 古文 / retro (fashion style based on nostalgia, esp. for 1960s) syn
韩愈 韓愈 hán yù Han Yu (768-824), Tang dynasty essayist and poet, advocate of the classical writing 古文運動|古文运动[gu3 wen2 yun4 dong4] and neoclassical 復古|复古[fu4 gu3] movements
柳宗元 liǔ zōng yuán Liu Zongyuan (773-819), Tang essayist and poet, advocate of the classical writing 古文運動|古文运动 and neoclassical 復古|复古 movements
李翱 lǐ áo Li Ao (774-836), Tang dynasty scholar and writer, colleague of Han Yu 韓愈|韩愈[Han2 Yu4] in promoting classical writing 古文運動|古文运动[gu3 wen2 yun4 dong4]
文字 wén zì character / script / writing / written language / writing style / phraseology / CL:個|个[ge4] syn
写法 寫法 xiě fǎ style of writing (literary style) / way of writing a character / spelling
应用文 應用文 yìng yòng wén applied writing / writing for practical purposes (business letters, advertising etc) syn
硬笔 硬筆 yìng bǐ generic term for hard writing instruments such as quill pens, fountain pens, ball pens and pencils, as opposed to writing brushes
润色 潤色 rùn sè to polish (a piece of writing) / to add a few finishing touches to (a piece of writing, painting etc) syn
笔锋 筆鋒 bǐ fēng the tip of a writing brush / vigor of style in writing / stroke / touch
翰 hàn writing brush / writing / pen syn
屠毒笔墨 屠毒筆墨 tú dú bǐ mò poisonous writing / disparaging writing / calumny
倒写 倒寫 dào xiě mirror writing / upside down writing
扶乩 fú jī planchette writing / to do planchette writing
绮语 綺語 qǐ yǔ flowery writing / writing concerning love and sex
辍笔 輟筆 chuò bǐ to stop writing or painting / to leave off writing midway
毛锥 毛錐 máo zhuī writing brush (old) / Castanopsis fordii, a species of evergreen tree common in the south of China whose calybia (nuts) resemble the tip of a writing brush
古诗 古詩 gǔ shī old verse / Classical Chinese poem syn
启明 啟明 qǐ míng Classical Chinese name for planet Venus in the east before dawn syn
文言 wén yán Classical Chinese syn
词人 詞人 cí rén writer of 詞|词[ci2] (a kind of Classical Chinese poem) / person of literary talent syn
长庚 長庚 cháng gēng Classical Chinese name for planet Venus in the west after dusk syn
平仄 píng zè level and oblique tones (technical term for Classical Chinese rhythmic poetry)
尔雅 爾雅 ěr yǎ "Erya" or "The Ready Guide", first extant Chinese dictionary, c. 3rd century BC, with glossaries on classical texts
格律 gé lǜ forms of versification / conventions regarding set number of words and lines, choice of tonal patterns and rhyme schemes for various types of Classical Chinese poetic composition / metrical verse
比 bǐ to compare / (followed by a noun and adjective) more {adj.} than {noun} / ratio / to gesture / (Taiwan pr. [bi4] in some compounds derived from Classical Chinese) syn
山水诗 山水詩 shān shuǐ shī shanshui poetry, genre of Classical Chinese poetry
伊 yī (old) third person singular pronoun ("he" or "she") / second person singular pronoun ("you") / (May 4th period) third person singular feminine pronoun ("she") / (Classical Chinese) introductory particle with no specific meaning / (preceding a noun) that syn
耳 ěr ear / handle (archaeology) / and that is all (Classical Chinese) syn
之乎者也 zhī hū zhě yě lit. 之[zhi1], 乎[hu1], 者[zhe3] and 也[ye3] (four grammatical particles of Classical Chinese) (idiom) / fig. archaic expressions syn
仄声 仄聲 zè shēng oblique tone / nonlevel tone / uneven tone (the third tone of Classical Chinese)
林纾 林紓 lín shū Lin Shu (1852-1924), writer and influential translator and adaptor of vast swathes of Western literature into Classical Chinese
海上奇书 海上奇書 hǎi shàng qí shū literary journal published in 1892-93 by Han Bangqing 韓邦慶|韩邦庆[Han2 Bang1qing4] featuring serialized novels in Classical Chinese and Jiangsu vernacular
海上花列传 海上花列傳 hǎi shàng huā liè zhuàn The Sing-Song Girls of Shanghai by Han Bangqing 韓邦慶|韩邦庆[Han2 Bang1 qing4], long novel of lower life in Classical Chinese and Jiangsu vernacular / translated into Putonghua as 海上花 by Iris Chang
发语词 發語詞 fā yǔ cí form word / in Classical Chinese, the first character of phrase having auxiliary grammatical function
规谏 規諫 guī jiàn to remonstrate / to warn earnestly (esp. classical written Chinese) / to exhort syn
韩邦庆 韓邦慶 hán bāng qìng Han Bangqing (1856-1894), writer and publisher of experimental literary journal in Classical Chinese and Jiangsu vernacular, author of novel 海上花列傳|海上花列传
古音 gǔ yīn ancient (esp. pre-Qin) pronunciation of a Chinese character / classical speech sounds
国语 國語 guó yǔ Chinese language (Mandarin), emphasizing its national nature / Chinese as a primary or secondary school subject / Chinese in the context of the Nationalist Government / Guoyu, book of historical narrative c. 10th-5th century BC syn
华侨 華僑 huá qiáo overseas Chinese / (in a restricted sense) Chinese emigrant who still retains Chinese nationality / CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2]
华裔 華裔 huá yì ethnic Chinese / non-Chinese citizen of Chinese ancestry syn
字头 字頭 zì tóu single-character headword (in a dictionary) / first character of a Chinese word / the top part (esp. a radical) of a Chinese character / the initial of a Chinese syllable
夔 kuí one-legged mountain demon of Chinese mythology / Chinese mythical figure who invented music and dancing / Chinese rain god / surname Kui
峇峇娘惹 bā bā niáng rě Peranakan Chinese (Baba-Nyonya), an ethnic group of Chinese residing in the Malay peninsula (also known as Straits Chinese)
二毛子 èr máo zi lit. secondary foreigner / (derogatory term for Chinese Christians and others associated with foreigners, used at the time of the Boxer Rebellion) / (coll.) westernized Chinese person / (derog.) person of mixed Chinese and Russian blood / (slang) Ukraine / German shepherd dog / (dialect) two-year-old goat
拼音 pīn yīn phonetic writing / pinyin (Chinese romanization)
伏羲 fú xī Fuxi, legendary Chinese emperor, trad. 2852-2738 BC, mythical creator of fishing, trapping and writing
笔触 筆觸 bǐ chù brush stroke in Chinese painting and calligraphy / brushwork / style of drawing or writing syn
笔顺 筆順 bǐ shùn stroke order (when writing Chinese character)
仓颉 倉頡 cāng jié Cang Jie, legendary scribe of the Yellow Emperor and inventor of Chinese writing / (computing) Cangjie input method
正教 zhèng jiào lit. true religion / orthodox religion / orthodox Christianity / Islam (in the writing of Chinese or Hui theologians) syn
笔 筆 bǐ pen / pencil / writing brush / to write or compose / the strokes of Chinese characters / classifier for sums of money, deals / CL:支[zhi1],枝[zhi1] syn
胡适 胡適 hú shì Hu Shi (1891-1962), original proponent of writing in colloquial Chinese 白話文|白话文[bai2 hua4 wen2]
伏羲氏 fú xī shì Fuxi or Fu Hsi, legendary Chinese emperor 2852-2738 BC, mythical creator of fishing, trapping, and writing
国语注音符号第一式 國語注音符號第一式 guó yǔ zhù yīn fú hào dì yī shì Mandarin Phonetic Symbols 1 (official name of the phonetic system of writing Chinese used in Taiwan) / Bopomofo / abbr. to 注音一式[zhu4 yin1 yi1 shi4]
虚宫格 虛宮格 xū gōng gé four-square box in which one practices writing a Chinese character
经典 經典 jīng diǎn the classics / scriptures / classical / classic (example, case etc) / typical syn
权利 權利 quán lì right (i.e. an entitlement to sth) / (classical) power and wealth syn
古典 gǔ diǎn classical syn
留住 liú zhù to ask sb to stay / to keep sb for the night / to await (classical) syn
书院 書院 shū yuàn academy of classical learning (Tang Dynasty - Qing Dynasty) syn
小将 小將 xiǎo jiàng (in classical literature) young military officer of high rank for his age / (during the Cultural Revolution) young militant in the Red Guard / (in modern usage) rising star (in sport, politics etc) syn
古典音乐 古典音樂 gǔ diǎn yīn yuè classical music
大典 dà diǎn ceremony / collection of classical writings syn
典故 diǎn gù classical story or quote from the literature / the story behind sth syn
古典文学 古典文學 gǔ diǎn wén xué classical literature
管子 guǎn zǐ Guanzi or Guan Zhong 管仲 (-645 BC), famous politician of Qi 齊國|齐国 of Spring and Autumn period / Guanzi, classical book containing writings of Guan Zhong and his school syn
仿古 fǎng gǔ pseudo-classical / modeled on antique / in the old style
出 齣 chū variant of 出[chu1] (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels) syn
摩羯 mó jié Capricorn (star sign) / northern people in classical times, a branch of the Huns or Xiongnu 匈奴
百家争鸣 百家爭鳴 bǎi jiā zhēng míng a hundred schools of thought contend (idiom) / refers to the classical philosophic schools of the Warring States period 475-221 BC
诸子 諸子 zhū zǐ various sages / refers to the classical schools of thought, e.g. Confucianism 儒[ru2] represented by Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] and Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3], Daoism 道[dao4] by Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3] and Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3], Mohism 墨[mo4] by Mozi 墨子[Mo4 zi3], Legalism 法[fa3] by Sunzi 孫子|孙子[Sun1 zi3] and Han Feizi 韓非子|韩非子[Han2 Fei1 zi3], and numerous others
抚琴 撫琴 fǔ qín to play the zither / classical variant of 彈琴|弹琴[tan2 qin2]
海顿 海頓 hǎi dùn Haydn (name) / Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), Austrian classical composer
北 běi north / (classical) to be defeated syn
夫 fú (classical) this, that / he, she, they / (exclamatory final particle) / (initial particle, introduces an opinion) syn
远 遠 yuàn to distance oneself from (classical) syn
刘 劉 liú (classical) a type of battle-ax / to kill / to slaughter
耶 yé interrogative particle (classical) syn
牌 pái signboard / plaque / plate / tablet (CL:塊|块[kuai4]) / brand / trademark (CL:個|个[ge4]) / mahjong tile / domino / playing card (CL:張|张[zhang1]) / (bound form) fixed pattern for lyrics or set melody in classical poetry or music (used in 詞牌|词牌[ci2pai2] and 曲牌[qu3pai2]) syn
祭 jì to offer a sacrifice to (gods or ancestors) / (in classical novels) to recite an incantation to activate a magic weapon / to wield (sth magic) / (bound form) ceremony / (Tw) (bound form) (celebratory) festival syn
薛 xuē wormwood like grass (classical)
矣 yǐ classical final particle, similar to modern 了[le5] syn
甫 fǔ (classical) barely / just / just now syn
鼎 dǐng ancient cooking cauldron with two looped handles and three or four legs / pot (dialect) / to enter upon a period of (classical) / Kangxi radical 206 / one of the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes syn
侬 儂 nóng you (Wu dialect) / I, me (classical) syn
汶 wèn Wen River in northwest Sichuan (same as 汶川) / classical name of river in Shandong, used to refer to Qi 齊國|齐国
啻 chì only (classical, usually follows negative or question words) / (not) just
涫 guàn (classical) to boil
榱 cuī rafter (classical)
齣 chū variant of 出 (classifier for plays or chapters of classical novels)
薠 fán plant similar to coco-grass 莎草[suo1 cao3] (classical)
黄钟毁弃瓦釜雷鸣 黃鐘譭棄瓦釜雷鳴 huáng zhōng huǐ qì wǎ fǔ léi míng lit. earthern pots make more noise than classical bells / good men are discarded in favor of bombastic ones (idiom)
来而不往非礼也 來而不往非禮也 lái ér bù wǎng fēi lǐ yě not to reciprocate is against etiquette (classical) / to respond in kind
古典语言 古典語言 gǔ diǎn yǔ yán classical language
The four tones The four tones of Mandarin Pitch over time: tone 1 high and level (red), tone 2 rising (orange), tone 3 falling then rising (green), tone 4 falling (blue). tone 1 tone 2 tone 3 tone 4 Time Pitch

Share this page