national language/literature; Chinese language & literature course
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
national language and literature; (historically) Chinese language and writing
archaicA term primarily used in historical or formal contexts to refer to the Chinese language as a national subject of study. In modern usage, '语文' or '中文' is more common for the language itself.
In the old private schools, the main subjects taught were Chinese language and arithmetic.
This manuscript was written in the old national script (Chinese).
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He specializes in East Asian language and literature studies.
noun
(formerly) Chinese language and literature course in elementary or secondary school
archaicUsed historically to refer to the school subject now commonly called '语文' (yǔwén). It often had a stronger literary focus than the modern, more comprehensive '语文' course.
When my father went to school, the Chinese literature class required memorizing a lot of classical texts.
This 'National Language Textbook' is an edition from the Republican era.
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Next week's Chinese literature class will have a test on selected passages from the Analects.