文章
wénzhāng
The English word 'article' can be translated into Chinese as 文章 (wénzhāng).
文章 is a general term for any written piece, ranging from academic essays to journalistic reports. If you are specifically referring to news articles or reports, the term 报道 is used.
Meaning: story, report, or opinion piece (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 文 (writing/culture) and 章 (chapter/section/pattern).
Which one should you use?
While 文章 refers to the written content itself, 报道 is used specifically for a news report. Additionally, for a formal academic or scholarly article, the more specific term 论文 is often used instead of 文章.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting articles, the measure word 篇 (piān) is used, as seen in the phrase 一篇文章.
How do you pronounce it?
wénzhāng
Did you know?
- In classical Chinese, 文章 originally referred to the 'patterns' or 'ornaments' of a garment. It evolved to describe the beauty and structure of writing as a form of mental decoration.
- Unlike English where 'article' can refer to a grammar term like 'the' or 'a', 文章 is never used for grammar. Chinese speakers use 冠词 for grammatical articles.
- The measure word 篇 used with 文章 was originally used for pieces of silk or bamboo strips upon which ancient texts were written.
Examples in context
- 你看文章了没？Did you read the article?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has read the article using 文章.Tatoeba #774101 by GlossaMatik, translation #3826524 by CK
- 我想写篇文章。I want to write an article.This sentence is useful for expressing the desire to write an article using 文章.Tatoeba #6094908 by verdastelo9604, translation #1657749 by CK
- 這文章胡說八道。This article is nonsense.This sentence is useful for describing an article that contains nonsense using 文章.Tatoeba #6073873 by verdastelo9604, translation #5744380 by CM
- 我正在撰写一篇关于环境保护的文章。I am currently writing an article about environmental protection.
- 我昨天读了一篇很有趣的报道。Yesterday, I read a very interesting article.
- 这篇文写得很好，我觉得很有启发。This article is well-written, and I find it very inspiring.
- 我在台湾读了一篇关于旅游的文章。I read an article about tourism in Taiwan.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A student and a friend are discussing a magazine at a cafe.
- 梓涵 Zihan你看了这本杂志里的文章吗？Nǐ kàn le zhè běn zázhì lǐ de wénzhāng ma?Did you read the article in this magazine?
- 俊杰 Junjie还没，那篇文章讲什么？Hái méi, nà piān wénzhāng jiǎng shénme?Not yet, what is that article about?
- 梓涵 Zihan是关于科技发展的。Shì guānyú kējì fāzhǎn de.It is about technological development.
- 俊杰 Junjie听起来很有趣，我也想看。Tīng qǐlái hěn yǒuqù, wǒ yě xiǎng kàn.It sounds interesting, I want to read it too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “article” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
