散文 meaning in English
(broadly) prose (as opposed to verse); (more narrowly) free-form literary prose, such as essays, sketches and reflections
Meaning of 散文
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (broadly) prose (as opposed to verse)
- (more narrowly) free-form literary prose, such as essays, sketches and reflections
How to use 散文
散文 can mean prose in general, but people usually use it for literary essays and reflective pieces, a genre taught in Chinese schools alongside 诗歌 (shīgē, poetry) and 小说 (xiǎoshuō, fiction). Example: 我很喜欢读朱自清的散文。(Wǒ hěn xǐhuan dú Zhū Zìqīng de sǎnwén.) I really like reading Zhu Ziqing's essays.
散 (sǎn) means loose or scattered, and 文 (wén) means writing. 散文 is loose writing, words that are not tied down by rhyme or fixed line length like a poem.
Common mistake: 散 has two readings. In 散文 it is third tone sǎn, not fourth tone sàn as in 散步 (sànbù, to take a walk). Also, 散文 is not a school assignment essay; that is 作文 (zuòwén).
散文 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
散 sàn · to scatter · 12 strokes
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文 wén · language · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 散文.
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 课文 | kèwén | text |
| 英文 | Yīngwén | English (language) |
| 作文 | zuòwén | to write an essay; composition (student essay) |
| 文件 | wénjiàn | document; file |
| 文化 | wénhuà | culture; civilization |
| 文章 | wénzhāng | article; essay |
| 散步 | sànbù | to take a walk; to go for a walk |
| 文明 | wénmíng | civilized; civilization |
| 文字 | wénzì | character; script |
| 文学 | wénxué | literature |
| 外文 | wàiwén | foreign language (written) |
Questions about 散文
What does 散文 mean?
散文 (sǎnwén) means "(broadly) prose (as opposed to verse); (more narrowly) free-form literary prose, such as essays, sketches and reflections" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 散文?
散文 is made of 2 characters: 散 (12 strokes), 文 (4 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 散文 an HSK word?
Yes. 散文 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 散文 and 小说?
小说 (xiǎoshuō) is fiction with characters and a plot, like a novel or short story. 散文 is usually nonfiction, such as personal reflections, travel sketches or descriptions of daily life.
What measure word is used with 散文?
Use 篇 (piān) for a single piece, as in 一篇散文 (yì piān sǎnwén), one essay. For a book of essays, people say 散文集 (sǎnwénjí), an essay collection.