书 simplified
書 traditional
shū
book · writing · calligraphy · letter · document
部首 bùshǒu · 乛 secondary hook 4 笔画 bǐhuà strokes HSK 1–3 tone 1 · shū
笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

The traditional form 書 shows: a hand (聿 yù — a brush held in the hand) over 曰 yuē (to say; speech). The brush held above speech: the transcription of words. 聿 alone means "writing instrument" — it is the original brush. The simplified 书 retains only an abstracted hook form, but the calligraphic origin is still felt in the stroke.

书 covers the entire semantic field of written civilization: the physical book, the act of writing, the art of calligraphy, official documents, personal letters, and Scripture (经书 jīngshū). In classical Chinese, a 书 could be a letter, a governmental memorial, a canonical text, or a style of script. All were facets of the same civilizational act: using a brush to preserve thought.

The simplified form appeared in the People's Republic's 1956 and 1964 script reform, reducing 書 from 10 strokes to 4. The traditional form 書 is still used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and formal calligraphy contexts.

书本与阅读 shūběn yǔ yuèdú Books & Reading
书本 shūběn books; book learning (vs. practice)
N 名词 míngcí
书 shū + 本 běn (root; copy; the original volume). The physical book as an object. Often used in the contrast 书本知识 (book knowledge) vs. 实践 (practice) — a tension that runs through Chinese educational discourse.
不要只靠书本知识。
Bù yào zhǐ kào shūběn zhīshí.
Don't rely only on book learning.
图书馆 túshūguǎn library
N 名词 míngcí
图 tú (drawing; map; illustration) + 书 shū (book) + 馆 guǎn (hall; building for a function). A building for maps and books. The word 图书 túshū — "illustrated books" — is now the formal term for library holdings in general.
我在图书馆借了这本书。
Wǒ zài túshūguǎn jiè le zhè běn shū.
I borrowed this book from the library.
书屋 shūwū study; book room; a small library or bookshop
N 名词 míngcí
书 shū + 屋 wū (room; small dwelling). A room given over to books — intimate, personal, unlarge. The word appears in study names of scholars and poets: 鲁迅的百草园 is a garden; his workroom was a 书屋. It is also the second half of this site's name: 角落書屋.
他在自己的书屋里读了一整天。
Tā zài zìjǐ de shūwū lǐ dú le yī zhěng tiān.
He read in his study for an entire day.
读书 dúshū to study; to go to school; to read books
V/N 动名词
读 dú (to read aloud; to study) + 书 shū. The standard word for education and study — not just reading but the whole project of cultivation through books. 读书人 dúshūrén = a scholar; a literate, cultivated person. One of the highest social compliments in the Confucian tradition.
他从小就爱读书。
Tā cóng xiǎo jiù ài dúshū.
He has loved studying since childhood.
读书改变命运。
Dúshū gǎibiàn mìngyùn.
Education changes fate. [common saying]
书写与字体 shūxiě yǔ zìtǐ Writing & The Five Scripts
五体 wǔtǐ · The Five Scripts

Chinese calligraphy tradition recognizes five script styles (书体 shūtǐ), each with its own aesthetic character and historical moment:

篆书 zhuànshū (seal script) — the oldest, rounded and archaic; used in seals and formal inscriptions. 隶书 lìshū (clerical script) — the Han dynasty civil-service hand; flatter, with horizontal flicks. 楷书 kǎishū (regular/standard script) — the basis for printed type and school learning; what you're reading now. 行书 xíngshū (running script) — the everyday handwriting style; connected, fluid. 草书 cǎoshū (cursive/grass script) — the most abstract; strokes reduced to near-symbols; readable only by trained calligraphers.

A skilled calligrapher moves between all five. The five scripts are one of China's most distinctive contributions to world art.

书法 shūfǎ Calligraphy — The Method of the Brush
书法 shūfǎ calligraphy; the art of Chinese writing
N 名词 míngcí
书 shū (writing) + 法 fǎ (method; law; the Dharma). The method — or the law — of writing. Calligraphy is not decoration in Chinese culture; it is an ethical practice. The quality of one's brushwork was believed to reveal character. The great calligraphers (王羲之 Wáng Xīzhī, 颜真卿 Yán Zhēnqīng, 苏轼 Sū Shì) are remembered alongside poets and philosophers.
书法是中国传统艺术的精髓。
Shūfǎ shì Zhōngguó chuántǒng yìshù de jīngsuǐ.
Calligraphy is the essence of traditional Chinese art.
文化 wénhuà · Culture 书法 is listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is taught in Chinese schools and practiced by millions as a meditative discipline. The brush is the instrument; stillness and breath are the preparation; the stroke cannot be corrected.
书法家 shūfǎjiā calligrapher
N 名词 míngcí
书法 shūfǎ + 家 jiā (specialist; master of a domain). A practitioner of calligraphy at the level of mastery. 王羲之 Wáng Xīzhī (4th c.) is the canonical master — his 兰亭序 Lántíng Xù (Preface to the Orchid Pavilion) is the most celebrated piece of Chinese calligraphy.
王羲之是历史上最伟大的书法家。
Wáng Xīzhī shì lìshǐ shàng zuì wěidà de shūfǎjiā.
Wang Xizhi is the greatest calligrapher in history.
文房四宝 wénfáng sìbǎo The Four Treasures of the Scholar's Studio
宝 Bǎo 拼音 Pīnyīn 英文 Yīngwén 说明 Shuōmíng
笔 bǐ brush wolf-hair, goat-hair, or bamboo — the primary tool
墨 mò ink stick ground with water on the inkstone; pine soot and animal glue
纸 zhǐ paper xuānzhǐ 宣纸 (Xuan paper) is the calligrapher's paper; invented in China
砚 yàn inkstone the stone on which ink is ground; highly collectible
成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases
书香门第 shūxiāng méndì a family with a fragrance of books — a family of scholars and learning Lit: book-fragrance-door-lineage. A family where books are the tradition and education runs through the generations. High cultural prestige in Chinese society. 书香 shūxiāng "the fragrance of books" is itself a vivid compound.
读万卷书，行万里路 dú wàn juǎn shū, xíng wàn lǐ lù read ten thousand scrolls; travel ten thousand li — theory and experience together Classical saying attributed to Du Fu's father. 万 = 10,000 (metaphor for "vast"). The principle that education requires both books and lived experience — one of the most quoted educational proverbs.
手不释卷 shǒu bù shì juǎn hand never releasing the scroll — to be an insatiable reader Lit: hand-not-release-scroll. To be so devoted to books that you never put them down. A compliment for scholars. 卷 juǎn = scroll; the classical form of the book.
学富五车 xué fù wǔ chē learning filling five carts — to be vastly learned Pre-paper era idiom: a scholar's books required five ox-carts to transport. Now means "enormously knowledgeable." The scale reveals how precious books were before printing.
相邻词汇 xiānglín cíhuì Adjacent Vocabulary
书法shūfǎcalligraphy 书屋shūwūstudy; book room 图书馆túshūguǎnlibrary 读书dúshūto study; to read 书桌shūzhuōwriting desk 书架shūjiàbookshelf 教科书jiàokēshūtextbook 书信shūxìnletter; written correspondence 文字wénzìwritten characters; script 笔墨bǐmòbrush and ink; writing