文化

The modern Chinese term is an Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 文化(ぶんか) (bunka, “culture”), which is a direct translation of the German word Kultur. [1]

In its classical form, the term can be interpreted as 文教 (wénjiào, “humanistic education”) + 化育 (huàyù, “transformational development”). Often cited are the following examples:

Humanistic education, based on the tradition of rites and propriety 禮教／礼教 (lǐjiào) have the transformative potential to actualize all under Heaven 人文化成. This is often juxtaposed or contrasted with the use of punishment 刑 (xíng) or military might 武 (wǔ) to establish power and control over a populace, as can be seen in the quote below:

文化 over here is synonymous with 文治 (wénzhì, “governance by means of culture, education, rites and music”). This is not the same as culture in the modern sense of the term.

It is within this classical context that the Japanese first coined the term 文化(ぶんか) (bunka) to name an era during the Edo period.

When used to translate Kultur during the Meiji restoration, 文化(ぶんか) (bunka) is possibly a contraction of 文明開化(ぶんめいかいか) (bunmeikaika, “to open up and transform through civilization”),[2] which takes the meaning of a civilizing agent i.e. Culture.

文化

1. (countable, uncountable) culture (Classifier: 個／个; 種／种)

   文化體系／文化体系  ―  wénhuà tǐxì  ―  cultural system

   文化環境／文化环境  ―  wénhuà huánjìng  ―  cultural context

   中華文化／中华文化  ―  zhōnghuá wénhuà  ―  Chinese culture

   公司文化  ―  gōngsī wénhuà  ―  company culture

   本土文化  ―  běntǔ wénhuà  ―  indigenous culture

   燦爛文化／灿烂文化  ―  cànlàn wénhuà  ―  magnificent culture

   文化負載詞／文化负载词  ―  wénhuà fùzǎicí  ―  culturally loaded term

   國家級文化生態保護區 [MSC, trad.]
   国家级文化生态保护区 [MSC, simp.]

   guójiājí wénhuà shēngtài bǎohùqū [Pinyin]

   national ecocultural protection area

   開展對外文化交流 [MSC, trad.]
   开展对外文化交流 [MSC, simp.]

   kāizhǎn duìwài wénhuà jiāoliú [Pinyin]

   to conduct cultural exchange with other countries

   不同的國家有不同的文化。 [MSC, trad.]
   不同的国家有不同的文化。 [MSC, simp.]

   Bùtóng de guójiā yǒu bùtóng de wénhuà. [Pinyin]

   Different countries have different cultures.

2. (uncountable) education; literacy
3. (archaeology, countable) culture (assemblage of artifacts)

   龍山文化／龙山文化  ―  Lóngshān Wénhuà  ―  the Longshan culture

4. (literary, archaic, uncountable) education through teaching morality, literature and music

Like the term "culture" in English, 文化 (wénhuà) can refer to both culture in the sense of a society's arts or customs, as well the attitudes and behaviours of a particular group of people, as in a "company culture". However, 文化 (wénhuà) cannot refer to "culture" in the biological sense; instead the term 培養物／培养物 is used. The verb 培養／培养 (péiyǎng) is to cultivate.

文化

1. (～里) An urban village in Tamsui district, New Taipei, Taiwan
2. (～社區) Wenhua (a residential community in Ruoqiang, Ruoqiang, Bayingolin prefecture, Xinjiang, China)

Learned borrowing from Middle Chinese 文化 (mjun xwæH, “the way of educating by using morality, literature, rituals and music”), repurposed during the Meiji period as a translation of German Kultur.[1]

Cited with the culture sense starting from roughly 1870.[1]

• (Tokyo) ぶ​んか [búꜜǹkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [bɯ̟̃ᵝŋka̠]

文(ぶん)化(か) • (bunka) ^{←ぶんくわ (bunkwa)?}

1. culture
   • 1928, 岸田國士, 「語られる言葉」の美:

     これは、国語(こくご)の性格(せいかく)に、文化(ぶんか)の伝統(でんとう)、国民性(こくみんせい)の特質(とくしつ)が作用(さよう)するからである。

     Kore wa, kokugo no seikaku ni, bunka no dentō, kokuminsei no tokushitsu ga sayō suru kara de aru.

     The tradition of culture and the traits of the nation function to make the character of the national language.

• → Chinese: 文化 (wénhuà)[2]
• → Korean: 문화 (munhwa)
• → Vietnamese: văn hoá

文(ぶん)化(か) • (Bunka) 

1. The Bunka era, 1804-1818

• 享和(きょうわ) (Kyōwa) (era preceding Bunka)
• 文政(ぶんせい) (Bunsei) (era following Bunka)

文化 • (munhwa) (hangeul 문화)

1. Hanja form^? of 문화 (“culture”).

文化

1. chữ Hán form of văn hoá (“culture”).