草案

• Pinyin: cǎo àn
• Hanzi breakdown: 草 = 艹 (grass) + 早 (phonetic); 案 = 木 (wood) + 安 (stable) — a wooden writing desk, hence 'document'

Meaning

Draft; preliminary version of a document, law, or plan.

A formal term used in legislative, administrative, and planning contexts. 草案 is the first working version, subject to review, amendment, and approval before it becomes final. Common collocates: 法律草案, 预算草案, 修正草案.

Examples

1. 全国人大常委会审议了新修订的民法草案，并向社会公开征求意见。 The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress reviewed the newly revised draft civil code and solicited public comment.
2. 经过三轮讨论，委员会终于通过了这份城市发展规划草案。 After three rounds of discussion, the committee finally passed this urban development planning draft.
3. 这份草案目前还处于征求意见阶段，最终版本可能还会有较大调整。 This draft is still in the public comment stage, and the final version may still undergo significant adjustments.

Usage Guide

Context: law, government, planning, policy, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这项立法草案经过两年多的调研和论证，现正式提交大会审议。(This legislative draft, after more than two years of research and deliberation, has now been formally submitted to the assembly.)
• 请各部门在截止日期前提交修改意见，以便对草案进行最终完善。(Please submit revision comments from all departments before the deadline so the draft can be finalised.)

Don't Say

• 我的作业草案写好了。(草案 is used for formal documents such as laws or plans; for a homework draft use 草稿)

Origin & History

草 (rough, preliminary) + 案 (document, plan, case). A preliminary document or plan.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal