行状

行狀

xíngzhuàng

noun

Measure Word

一篇行状 piān

Meanings

1 brief obituary (literary)
2 biographical sketch of the deceased
3 record of one's deeds

Characters

Examples

门生为先生撰写了一篇行状。

Ménshēng wèi xiānsheng zhuànxiě le yì piān xíngzhuàng.

The disciples composed a biographical sketch for their late teacher.

古代的行状常作为后世修史的参考。

Gǔdài de xíngzhuàng cháng zuòwéi hòushì xiūshǐ de cānkǎo.

Ancient biographical sketches often served as references for later historians.

Tips

history

行状 is a classical genre: a record of someone's 'conduct and form' (行 deeds + 状 form), composed shortly after death by family or disciples and submitted to officials so an epitaph or formal biography could be written. Standard practice from the Han through the Qing.

register

Heavily literary — you'll meet it in literary criticism and history texts, not modern speech. Taiwan also reads it xìngzhuàng (4-4).

Stroke Order

行 xíng

状 zhuàng