Usage note
文件表示写好的资料或电子资料。
wén jiàn biǎo shì xiě hǎo de zī liào huò diàn zǐ zī liào。
Document means written or digital materials.
Context note
文件常用于电脑、办公和学习。
wén jiàn cháng yòng yú diàn nǎo 、 bàn gōng hé xué xí。
Documents often appear with computers, office work, and study.
5 examples
文件在桌上。
wén jiàn zài zhuō shàng。
The document is on the desk.
请打开文件。
qǐng dǎ kāi wén jiàn。
Please open the document.
我保存了文件。
wǒ bǎo cún le wén jiàn。
I saved the file.
这个文件很重要。
zhè ge wén jiàn hěn zhòng yào。
This file is very important.
老师发了文件。
lǎo shī fā le wén jiàn。
The teacher sent the document.
5 mini stories
妈妈在电脑上打开一个文件，里面是明天的菜单。她笑着说明天做红烧肉。
Māma zài diànnǎo shàng dǎkāi yīgè wénjiàn, lǐmiàn shì míngtiān de càidān. Tā xiàozhe shuō míngtiān zuò hóngshāoròu.
Mom opened a document on the computer; it was tomorrow's menu. She smiled and said she would make braised pork tomorrow.
小明在书包里找到一个文件，是上周画的恐龙。他把文件交给老师，老师夸他画得好。
Xiǎo Míng zài shūbāo lǐ zhǎodào yīgè wénjiàn, shì shàng zhōu huà de kǒnglóng. Tā bǎ wénjiàn jiāo gěi lǎoshī, lǎoshī kuā tā huà de hǎo.
Xiao Ming found a document in his backpack; it was the dinosaur he drew last week. He handed the document to the teacher, and the teacher praised his drawing.
爸爸从公司带回一个文件，上面有好多数字。他认真看完文件，然后放进文件夹里。
Bàba cóng gōngsī dài huí yīgè wénjiàn, shàngmiàn yǒu hǎoduō shùzì. Tā rènzhēn kàn wán wénjiàn, ránhòu fàng jìn wénjiànjiā lǐ.
Dad brought home a document from work with lots of numbers on it. He read the document carefully, then put it into a folder.
姐姐用手机拍了一张照片，存成一个新文件。她说这个文件要发给奶奶看。
Jiějie yòng shǒujī pāi le yī zhāng zhàopiàn, cún chéng yīgè xīn wénjiàn. Tā shuō zhège wénjiàn yào fā gěi nǎinai kàn.
Sister took a photo with her phone and saved it as a new document. She said this document would be sent to Grandma to see.
在图书馆，小丽借了一本故事书，书后附着一个文件，是阅读小游戏。她开心地玩起来。
Zài túshūguǎn, Xiǎo Lì jiè le yī běn gùshì shū, shū hòu fùzhe yīgè wénjiàn, shì yuèdú xiǎo yóuxì. Tā kāixīn de wán qǐlái.
At the library, Xiao Li borrowed a storybook; attached to the book was a document with a reading game. She happily started playing it.
Mini dialogue
找文件
A
老师，我的文件不见了，您看到了吗？
Lǎoshī, wǒ de wénjiàn bùjiàn le, nín kàn dào le ma?
Teacher, my document is missing, have you seen it?
B
别着急，我们一起找找那个蓝色的文件。
Bié zhāojí, wǒmen yīqǐ zhǎo zhǎo nàge lán sè de wénjiàn.
Don't worry, let's look for that blue document together.
交文件
A
你的作业文件准备好了吗？明天要交。
Nǐ de zuòyè wénjiàn zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma? Míngtiān yào jiāo.
Is your homework document ready? It's due tomorrow.
B
准备好了，我把文件放在书包里了。
Zhǔnbèi hǎo le, wǒ bǎ wénjiàn fàng zài shūbāo lǐ le.
It's ready, I put the document in my schoolbag.
Related words and contrasts
related
纸
zhǐ
paper
文件 is often printed on 纸.
related
书
shū
book
A 书 is a bound collection of pages, while a 文件 is usually a single document.