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時文

简时文 · 繁時文

Mandarin · pinyin shí wén

(historical) imperial examination essay; eight-legged essay 八股文 bā gǔ wén
current-affairs article; topical commentary (esp. as reading material in educational contexts)

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Characters in this entry

時: shí · time, season; era, age, period
文: wén · literature, culture, writing
时: shí · time, season; era, age, period

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Mandarin tones

2–2 · shi2 wen2

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(literary, dated) prescribed essay form for the imperial examination
(literary, dated) prescribed essay form for the imperial examination — (chiefly during the Ming and Qing dynasties) eight-legged essay
topical article; current affairs commentary

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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