jīng diǎn
classics
Practice writing with stroke order guidance, audio pronunciation, and interactive exercises in our mobile app.
Step-by-step stroke order animations
Native speaker audio pronunciation
Interactive writing recognition
这本书是经典之作。
Zhè běn shū shì jīngdiǎn zhī zuò.
This book is a classic.
这部电影是经典之作。
Zhè bù diànyǐng shì jīngdiǎn zhī zuò.
This movie is a classic.
这首歌是经典之作。
Zhè shǒu gē shì jīngdiǎn zhī zuò.
This song is a classic.
庸俗 (yōngsú)
vulgar
平庸 (píngyōng)
mediocre
The Chinese word 经典 (jīngdiǎn) is composed of two characters: 经 (jīng) and 典 (diǎn). 经 originally meant "warp" or "main thread", and was used to refer to the main ideas or principles of a text. It also had the meaning of "constant" or "unchanging". 典 originally meant "law" or "rule", and was used to refer to authoritative texts or precedents. Over time, the two characters came to be used together to refer to works of literature, art, or philosophy that are considered to be of the highest quality and have stood the test of time. In modern Chinese, 经典 is used to refer to both classical works and contemporary works that are considered to be of exceptional quality.
