引言
yǐnyán
The Chinese word for "quotes" (passages of text taken from a written or spoken source) is 引言 (yǐnyán).
引言 is used to refer to passages of text that have been taken from a source, whether that source was written down or spoken aloud.
How do you pronounce it?
yǐnyán
Did you know?
- The character 引 in 引言 means 'to pull' or 'to draw', suggesting that a quote is literally 'drawn out' from a larger text.
- In classical Chinese literature, many famous 'quotes' are actually entire phrases known as 成语 (idioms), which are treated as single, unbreakable units of meaning.
- In some modern digital contexts, Chinese users use the symbol 「」 instead of '"' for quotes, a style inherited from Japanese and traditional printing."
Examples in context
- 时光荏苒，岁月如梭。Time flies like an arrow.
- 人生苦短，及时行乐。Life is short, so seize the day.
- 知识就是力量。Knowledge is power.
- 淡定面对，微笑迎接。Stay calm and smile in the face of adversity.
- 这几句引言很有名。Zhè jǐ jù yǐnyán hěn yǒumíng.These quotes are very famous.
- 他在文章中使用了这段引言。Tā zài wénzhāng zhōng shǐyòngle zhè duàn yǐnyán.He used this quote in the article.
- 请把这些引言写在笔记本上。Qǐng bǎ zhèxiē yǐnyán xiě zài bǐjìběn shàng.Please write these quotes in your notebook.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing their class assignment.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你完成作业了吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ wánchéng zuòyè le ma?Zhiqiang, have you finished the assignment?
- 志强 Zhiqiang还没，我正在找一些合适的引言。Hái méi, wǒ zhèngzài zhǎo yìxiē héshì de yǐnyán.Not yet, I am looking for some suitable quotes.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你可以看看这本书。Nǐ kěyǐ kànkan zhè běn shū.You can take a look at this book.
- 志强 Zhiqiang谢谢，晓雯！Xièxie, Xiǎowén!Thanks, Xiaowen!
