<p>文言 refers to the written language commonly used before 4th May 1919. (文言: 指五四以前通用的以古汉语为基础的书面语。)</p>
<p>In the dictionary you cited, 书面 thus refers to the modern written language.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-01T13:20:51.160Z
And what is the difference between 古语 vs 旧称?
IEatMy Pizza
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2021-10-01T14:31:48.450Z
古语 an old saying; 旧称 what something used to be called.
monalisa
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2021-10-02T00:05:41.917Z
@monalisa Do you mean in Classical Chinese? I am confusing
IEatMy Pizza
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2021-10-02T00:07:07.503Z
However, I am still confused with the different between 书面， 文言，古语 and 旧称.
IEatMy Pizza
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2021-10-02T01:14:44.323Z
@IEatMyPizza not sure about your confusion. It's pretty clear that 书面 is written language and 文言 is the old ancient language. The words have expressed themselves. It's pretty literal. 古语 is 古代用语 and 旧称 is 旧时的称谓.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-02T02:39:59.030Z
@IEatMyPizza The words "古语" and "旧称" can be used in modern writing as well, as in 這是一句古語，and 中山的旧称是香山。
monalisa
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2021-10-01T11:11:10.857Z
2021-10-01T11:11:10.857Z
Joe at wearyourchinesename.com
<p>书面语言是指用文字的方式表达自己的情感或者想要描述的画面，在汉语中，古代的书面语言叫做文言文，现代的书面语言叫做白话文。</p>

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2021-10-09T05:19:51.823Z
2021-10-09T05:19:51.823Z
A Warm-hearted Man
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lEkVq.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lEkVq.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a>
I have check the A Chinese-English dictionary which doesn’t have the translation to English in register content and I come across 文言 and 书面.
what is the different between 文言 and 书面？</p>

<grammar>
what is the different between 文言 and 书面？
# what is the different between 文言 and 书面？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-10-01)

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/lEkVq.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/lEkVq.png)
I have check the A Chinese-English dictionary which doesn’t have the translation to English in register content and I come across 文言 and 书面.
what is the different between 文言 and 书面？

**Tags:** grammar

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-10-01. Score: 2

文言 refers to the written language commonly used before 4th May 1919. (文言: 指五四以前通用的以古汉语为基础的书面语。)

In the dictionary you cited, 书面 thus refers to the modern written language.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: And what is the difference between 古语 vs 旧称?  
> **username_2**: 古语 an old saying; 旧称 what something used to be called.  
> **username_0**: @monalisa Do you mean in Classical Chinese? I am confusing  
> **username_0**: However, I am still confused with the different between 书面， 文言，古语 and 旧称.  
> **username_3**: @IEatMyPizza not sure about your confusion. It's pretty clear that 书面 is written language and 文言 is the old ancient language. The words have expressed themselves. It's pretty literal. 古语 is 古代用语 and 旧称 is 旧时的称谓.  
> **username_2**: @IEatMyPizza The words "古语" and "旧称" can be used in modern writing as well, as in 這是一句古語，and 中山的旧称是香山。  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2021-10-09. Score: 0

书面语言是指用文字的方式表达自己的情感或者想要描述的画面，在汉语中，古代的书面语言叫做文言文，现代的书面语言叫做白话文。


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