文艺
wényì · HSK 5
literature and art
📚🎨 文 (writing) + 艺 (art) = literature and art
文 means writing or culture; 艺 means skill or art. Together 文艺 covers the whole literary-and-artistic domain. Also used as an adjective meaning artsy or highbrow in tone.
文 — pictograph of crossed lines on a chest
文 originally depicted a person with patterns or tattoos drawn on the chest, shown as crossed or interwoven lines. From this image of decorative markings, it came to mean 'pattern,' then 'writing,' 'script,' and 'literature' or 'culture.' The modern senses all trace back to the idea of meaningful marks.