noun
transcription of Chinese classics into Japanese
Refers to a Japanese reading or rendering of classical Chinese texts, often with annotations to aid Japanese readers.
漢文の授業では、読み下し文を作る練習をした。
In classical Chinese class, we practiced making transcriptions into Japanese.
書き下し文 is a written-out version of the Japanese reading, while 読み下し文 emphasizes the act of reading or the transcribed text itself.
Compound of 読み下し (yomikudashi, 'reading down') + 文 (bun, 'text'). The term describes the practice of converting classical Chinese into Japanese word order.