小说
xiǎoshuō
In Chinese, the word for novel is 小说 (xiǎoshuō).
小说 is the standard and formal way to say novel in Chinese. It refers to a work of prose fiction. If you specifically want to refer to a long novel, you can use 长篇小说.
Meaning: work of prose fiction (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 小说 is composed of 小 (small) and 说 (to speak, to talk or story), which literally means small talk or short stories.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting novels, you should use the classifier 部 instead of the general classifier 个. To refer to the profession of a novelist, you can add the suffix 家 to the word to form 小说家.
How do you pronounce it?
xiǎoshuō
Did you know?
- The word 小说 was once used as a derogatory term for 'trivial' writings, as elite scholars viewed fiction as a distraction from the Confucian pursuit of moral truth.
- In modern Chinese, the term 小说 can be used as an adjective meaning 'fictional' or 'made up' to describe a story that someone is telling to deceive others.
- In Chinese literary history, the 'Four Great Classical Novels' are so fundamental that they are often studied as a collective set rather than individual books.
Examples in context
- 这部小说很难读懂。It is difficult to understand this novel.This sentence shows how to use 小说 when discussing the difficulty of a text.Tatoeba #478839 by biglion, translation #58468 by CK
- 那部小说我看了三天。I read the novel in three days.This sentence illustrates how to use 小说 when describing the time spent reading.Tatoeba #10157004 by yeyue, translation #2388650 by AlanF_US
- 有什么言情小说推荐吗？Can you recommend a romance novel for me?This sentence demonstrates the use of 小说 when asking for a recommendation for a romance novel.Tatoeba #8806669 by crescat, translation #3448577 by AlanF_US
- 她喜欢读小说。She enjoys reading novels.
- 这是一部长篇小说，有一千多页。This is a long novel with over a thousand pages.
- 你有什么好看的小说书推荐吗？Do you have any recommendations for good novels/books to read?
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a bookstore, Hao ran and Zi han are browsing.
- 浩然 Haoran你喜欢看什么类型的小说？Nǐ xǐhuān kàn shénme lèixíng de xiǎoshuō?What kind of novels do you like to read?
- 梓涵 Zihan我更喜欢看科幻小说。Wǒ gèng xǐhuān kàn kēhuàn xiǎoshuō.I prefer reading science fiction novels.
- 浩然 Haoran那这本小说怎么样？Nà zhè běn xiǎoshuō zěnmeyàng?Then how is this novel?
- 梓涵 Zihan浩然，我觉得这本很有趣。Hàorán, wǒ juédé zhè běn hěn yǒuqù.Hao ran, I think this one is very interesting.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
