纪实

• Pinyin: jì shí
• Hanzi breakdown: 纪 = 纟+ 己 (silk thread + self — to record); 实 = 宀 + 贯 (roof over strung-together coins — solid, actual)

Meaning

Documentary; to record facts. A mode of writing, filmmaking, or reporting that faithfully captures real events and true circumstances without fictionalisation or embellishment.

Found in 纪实文学 (documentary literature), 纪实电影 (documentary film), 纪实摄影 (documentary photography). Valued for authenticity and social conscience, contrasted with fictional or dramatised accounts.

Examples

1. 这部纪实作品生动记录了一群普通矿工在艰苦环境中坚守岗位的真实生活。 This documentary-style work vividly records the real lives of a group of ordinary miners who stayed at their posts in harsh conditions.
2. 纪实摄影师深入灾区，用镜头真实呈现了灾后重建工作中令人动容的人情与坚韧。 A documentary photographer went deep into the disaster area and used the camera to honestly show the moving humanity and resilience in post-disaster rebuilding.
3. 他历时三年完成的这部纪实报道揭示了城市化进程中农村社区面临的深层困境。 His documentary report, completed over three years, revealed the deep challenges rural communities face in the process of urbanization.

Usage Guide

Context: media, literature, journalism, film

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 这部纪实文学作品通过对数十位亲历者的深度访谈，系统还原了那段鲜为人知的历史真相，填补了官方叙述中长期存在的重要空白。(This work of documentary literature systematically reconstructs a little-known historical truth through in-depth interviews with dozens of eyewitnesses, filling in an important gap that has long existed in official accounts.)
• 优秀的纪实纪录片不仅要如实呈现现实，更需要以深刻的人文关怀和批判性视角引导观众思考社会问题背后的结构性根源。(An excellent documentary film must not only faithfully present reality, but also guide viewers to think about the structural roots behind social issues through deep humanistic concern and a critical perspective.)

Don't Say

• 纪实 vs 真实 — 纪实 is a genre or method (documentary-style recording); 真实 is an adjective meaning 'true/real'. Do not say 这个故事很纪实 — use 真实 instead

Origin & History

纪 (to record/chronicle) + 实 (reality, fact)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal