also: ぶんげん
noun
Refers to the specific choice of words or phrasing, especially in written documents, contracts, or formal texts.
契約書の文言を確認してください。
Please check the wording of the contract.
法律の文言は解釈が難しい。
The wording of the law is difficult to interpret.
noun
classical Chinese literary style; traditional written Chinese
Only with reading ぶんげん
Rare, specialized term for the classical Chinese written language (kanbun). Used only with the reading ぶんげん.
彼は文言を読むのが得意だ。
He is good at reading classical Chinese.
From Chinese 文言 (wényán), originally meaning 'literary language' or 'written words'. In Japanese, the reading もんごん developed for the general sense of wording, while ぶんげん is a later borrowing for the classical Chinese style.