作文

Chinese

		to regard as; to take (someone) for; to do to regard as; to take (someone) for; to do; to make	language; culture; writing language; culture; writing; formal; literary; gentle
simp. and trad. (作文)		作	文

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): zuòwén

(Zhuyin): ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄨㄣˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): zok³ man^4-2
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): chok-vùn

(Hailu, HRS): zog vun

(Meixian, Guangdong): zog⁵ vun²
Jin (Wiktionary): zuah^4-5 veng¹
Northern Min (KCR): cŏ̤-uǒ̤ng
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): zorh⁶ mong² / zorh⁶ muong²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): chok-bûn

(Teochew, Peng'im): zag⁴ bhung⁵
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁷tsoq-ven

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zuòwén
  - Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄨㄣˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: zuòwún
  - Wade–Giles: tso⁴-wên²
  - Yale: dzwò-wén
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuohwen
  - Palladius: цзовэнь (czovɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ wən³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (作文兒 / 作文儿)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zuòwénr
  - Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄨㄣˊㄦ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: zuòwúnr
  - Wade–Giles: tso⁴-wên²-ʼrh
  - Yale: dzwò-wénr
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuohwel
  - Palladius: цзовэньр (czovɛnʹr)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ wəɻ³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zok³ man^4-2
  - Yale: jok mán
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzok⁸ man^4-2
  - Guangdong Romanization: zog³ men^4-2
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔːk̚³ mɐn²¹⁻³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chok-vùn
  - Hakka Romanization System: zog^ˋ vun^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: zog⁵ vun²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sok̚² vun¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: zog vun
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sok⁵⁻² vun⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: zog⁵ vun²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sɔk̚¹ ʋun¹¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: zuah^4-5 veng¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡suaʔ²⁻⁵⁴ vəŋ¹¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: cŏ̤-uǒ̤ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔ²⁴ uɔŋ²¹/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: zorh⁶ mong² [Phonetic: zorh⁷ mong²]
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: co̤h-meóng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɒʔ²¹⁻⁴⁵ mɔŋ¹³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: zorh⁶ muong² [Phonetic: zorh⁷ muong²]
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɒʔ²⁻⁴ muoŋ²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chok-bûn
  - Tâi-lô: tsok-bûn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zokbuun
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ bun²⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sɔk̚⁵⁻²⁴ bun²⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁵ bun¹³/
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ bun²⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sɔk̚³²⁻⁴ bun²³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: zag⁴ bhung⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsak bûng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sak̚²⁻⁴ buŋ⁵⁵/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁷tsoq-ven
  - MiniDict: tsoh^入 ven
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴tsoq-ven
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡soʔ³³ vən⁴⁴/

Noun

作文

essay; composition

Synonyms

edit

文章 (wénzhāng)
筆札 / 笔札 (bǐzhá) (literary, figurative)
論文 / 论文 (lùnwén)

Verb

作⫽文 (verb-object)

(intransitive) to write an essay or composition
- 少看中國書，其結果不過不能作文而已。但現在的青年最要緊的是“行”，不是“言”。只要是活人，不能作文算什麼大不了的事 [MSC, trad.]
  少看中国书，其结果不过不能作文而已。但现在的青年最要紧的是“行”，不是“言”。只要是活人，不能作文算什么大不了的事 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1925 February 10, 魯迅 (Lu Xun),《青年必讀書》(Must-Read Books for Young People), translation based on Andrew F. Jones’s version
  Shǎo kàn Zhōngguó shū, qí jiéguǒ bùguò bùnéng zuòwén éryǐ. Dàn xiànzài de qīngnián zuì yàojǐn de shì “xíng”, bùshì “yán”. Zhǐyào shì huórén, bùnéng zuòwén suàn shénme dàbùliǎo de shì [Pinyin]
  The only problem with reading Chinese books less often is being unable to write well. But the priority for today’s young people is to act, not just to say. As long as they are living, breathing beings, what does it matter if they can’t write essays?

Synonyms

edit

執筆 / 执笔 (zhíbǐ)
寫作 / 写作 (xiězuò)
寫字 / 写字 (xiězì)
屬文 / 属文 (zhǔwén) (literary, to compose prose)
援筆 / 援笔 (yuánbǐ) (literary)
提筆 / 提笔 (tíbǐ)
撰 (zhuàn) (literary, or in compounds)
撰寫 (zhuànxiě)
撰著 (zhuànzhù) (to write a book)
撰述 (zhuànshù) (formal)
書寫 / 书写 (shūxiě)
書錄 / 书录 (shūlù)
筆耕 / 笔耕 (bǐgēng) (literary)
綴文 / 缀文 (zhuìwén) (literary, to write a composition)
編寫 / 编写 (biānxiě)
著作 (zhùzuò)
著述 (zhùshù)
行文 (xíngwén)
行筆 / 行笔 (xíngbǐ) (literary, to write an essay or composition)
製作 / 制作 (zhìzuò)
譔文 / 撰文 (zhuànwén) (to write an article)

Derived terms

作文本 (zuòwénběn)
作文簿 (zuòwénbù)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (作文):

→ Japanese: 作文(さくぶん) (sakubun)
→ Korean: 작문(作文) (jangmun)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
作	文
さく Grade: 2	ぶん Grade: 1
on'yomi	kan'on

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [sa̠kɯ̟bɯ̟̃ɴ]
(Tokyo) さくぶん [sàkúbúń] (Heiban – [0])

Noun

作(さく)文(ぶん) • (sakubun)

writing, essay, composition
作文(さくぶん)を書(か)く
sakubun o kaku
to write an essay

作文(さくぶん)の題(だい)
sakubun no dai
the subject of a composition

Derived terms

英作文(えいさくぶん) (eisakubun)
自由作文(じゆうさくぶん) (jiyū sakubun)

Verb

作(さく)文(ぶん)する • (sakubun suru) suru (stem 作(さく)文(ぶん)し (sakubun shi), past 作(さく)文(ぶん)した (sakubun shita))

to write a composition

Conjugation

Conjugation of "作文する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	作文し	さくぶんし	sakubun shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	作文し	さくぶんし	sakubun shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	作文する	さくぶんする	sakubun suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	作文する	さくぶんする	sakubun suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	作文すれ	さくぶんすれ	sakubun sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	作文せよ¹ 作文しろ²	さくぶんせよ¹ さくぶんしろ²	sakubun seyo¹ sakubun shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	作文される	さくぶんされる	sakubun sareru
Causative	作文させる作文さす	さくぶんさせるさくぶんさす	sakubun saseru sakubun sasu
Potential	作文できる	さくぶんできる	sakubun dekiru
Volitional	作文しよう	さくぶんしよう	sakubun shiyō
Negative	作文しない	さくぶんしない	sakubun shinai
Negative continuative	作文せず	さくぶんせず	sakubun sezu
Formal	作文します	さくぶんします	sakubun shimasu
Perfective	作文した	さくぶんした	sakubun shita
Conjunctive	作文して	さくぶんして	sakubun shite
Hypothetical conditional	作文すれば	さくぶんすれば	sakubun sureba

¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative