八股文 bāgǔwén eight-part essay Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents bāgǔwén eight-part essay 八股 bāgǔ eight-part essay the stylized eight-part essay prescribed for imperial exams in the Ming and Qing dynasties文 wén noun article article; essay; literary workbāgǔwén stereotyped writing 八股 bāgǔ cliché empty, rigid, or stereotyped writing or speech; platitudes文 wén noun article article; essay; literary work