📖 Meaning
To be literate; to possess basic reading ability and a modest level of education. It describes someone who can read and write, often used to highlight a person's cultural refinement in a traditional context.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Chapter 38 of 'The Tale of Heroic Sons and Daughters' (儿女英雄传), a Qing Dynasty novel by Wen Kang. In the scene, a character cautions another to mind their language in front of an educated person, saying, 'In front of someone who can read and write, don't spout vulgarities — you'll make a fool of yourself.' The phrase later gained wider currency through works like Lao She's play 'Female Shop Assistants' (女店员), where it denotes basic literacy as a marker of one's upbringing.
💡 Example Usage
他自幼识文断字，写起书信来毫不费力。
Having been literate from a young age, he writes letters with effortless ease.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 识文断字
- Pinyin: shí wén duàn zì
- Literal Translation: recognize writing, distinguish characters
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4