HSK · Level 11
135 words
Chinese word
人文
Pronunciation
Pinyinrén wén
Meaning
- nounhumanities
Example
她在大学学的是人文专业。tā zài dà xué xué de shì rén wén zhuān yè
She majors in the humanities at university.
More examples
在当代社会，人文精神对科技发展同样重要。zài dāng dài shè huì rén wén jīng shén duì kē jì fā zhǎn tóng yàng zhòng yào
In contemporary society, the humanistic spirit is equally important to the development of science and technology.
Core concept
A field that studies how people create meaning through culture, thought, history, language, and the arts.
Common phrases
人文科学rén wén kē xué
humanities
人文社会科学rén wén shè huì kē xué
humanities and social sciences
人文精神rén wén jīng shén
humanistic spirit
Similar words
文学wén xué: A field centered on creating and studying novels, poems, criticism, and literary works.
历史lì shǐ: A field that studies past events from historical sources and explains change over time.
哲学zhé xué: A field that explores fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, and values.
艺术yì shù: A field concerned with creating and appreciating painting, music, theater, and other arts.
Definition in Chinese
以研究人类文化、思想、历史和表达为主的学科范畴，包括文学、历史、哲学、语言与艺术等，常称为人文学科或人文科学。yǐ yán jiū rén lèi wén huà sī xiǎng lì shǐ hé biǎo dá wéi zhǔ de xué kē fàn chóu bāo kuò wén xué lì shǐ zhé xué yǔ yán yǔ yì shù děng cháng chēng wéi rén wén xué kē huò rén wén kē xué
Word origin
人 (rén, "person") + 文 (wén, "patterns and culture") presents the field as the study of human cultural expression and thought.
Usage tips
- In university contexts, 人文 (rénwén, "humanities-related") often appears before another noun, so the surrounding words show whether it names a major, a subject area, or a broader cultural focus.
Other meanings
- human culturenoun
- human sciencesnoun
Opposites
- 自然科学zì rán kē xuénatural sciencesnoun
- 理工科lǐ gōng kēscience and engineeringnoun
Related words
- 人文主义rén wén zhǔ yìhumanismnoun
- 人文学科rén wén xué kēhumanities disciplinenoun