Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

literary chinese

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.23 in modern English

Syllables
lit-er-ary chi-nese
IPA
23
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
4
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The written Chinese language used from the end of the Han Dynasty (220 C.E.) to the early 20th century. In Chinese, 文言 (wényán, “literary writing”).

name

The written Chinese language used from the Zhou Dynasty (1045 B.C.E.) (especially the Spring and Autumn Period), through to the end of the Han Dynasty (220 C.E.). In Chinese, 古文 (gǔwén, “Ancient Writing”). The language of many classics of Chinese literature.

name

Written Chinese for this entire period, without distinction.

Synonyms

Classical Chinese

Questions

What does literary chinese mean?
The written Chinese language used from the end of the Han Dynasty (220 C.E.) to the early 20th century. In Chinese, 文言 (wényán, “literary writing”).

How to pronounce literary chinese

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “literary chinese”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “literary chinese”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “literary chinese” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.