How do you say "essay" in Chinese?

随笔

suí bǐ

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "essay" is 随笔 (suí bǐ).

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Pronunciation

Pronounced "suí bǐ", carrying second tone, then third tone: rising sharply, the way your voice lifts when you ask "what?"; then the next syllable is dipping low then curling back up.

Writing and usage

随笔 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

他写了一篇关于海洋的文章。

tā xiě le yī piān guān yú hǎi yáng de wén zhāng 。

He wrote an essay about the ocean.

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How to remember 随笔

A quick anchor: the exact scene of when he wrote an essay about the ocean, then say "suí bǐ" out loud.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 随笔

How do you pronounce 随笔?

Pronounced "suí bǐ", carrying second tone, then third tone: rising sharply, the way your voice lifts when you ask "what?"; then the next syllable is dipping low then curling back up.

Is 随笔 formal or casual?

随笔 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 随笔 used in Chinese?

随笔 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 他写了一篇关于海洋的文章。 (He wrote an essay about the ocean.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Essay" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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