Classical Chinese

Proper noun

 * 1) The  language used from the  (1045 ) (especially the ), through to the end of the  (220 ). In Chinese,  or, formally, . The language of many classics of Chinese literature.
 * 2) The  language used from the  (1045 ) to the early 20th century.

Usage notes
Sinologists distinguish between the language as used in antiquity (Classical Chinese), and the language used after the fall of the Han Dynasty (Literary Chinese) – in Chinese, – similar to the distinction between Classical Latin and Late Latin. In casual usage, these may be conflated.

Translations

 * Chinese:
 * Cantonese: 文言文, 文言, 古文
 * Hokkien:
 * Mandarin:, , ,
 * Finnish: klassinen kiina
 * French:
 * German: klassisches Chinesisch
 * Indonesian: bahasa Tionghoa Klasik
 * Italian: cinese classico, lingua cinese classica
 * Japanese:
 * Korean:
 * Malay: bahasa Cina Klasik
 * Portuguese:
 * Russian: вэнья́нь, класси́ческий кита́йский язы́к
 * Spanish: chino clásico
 * Swedish: klassisk kinesiska
 * Vietnamese: (漢文), cổ văn (古文)