reading a text from start to finish
Only when written 読み下し
Refers to reading a text continuously from beginning to end, often used in contexts like reading aloud or reading through a document without stopping.
Please read through the materials from start to finish before the meeting.
transliterating classical Chinese into Japanese
A technical term in classical Chinese studies (kanbun) referring to the process of converting Chinese text into Japanese word order and adding kana to make it readable as Japanese.
See also: 読み下す
In classical Chinese class, we practice transliterating unannotated texts into Japanese.
transcription of Chinese classics into Japanese
Standard kanji spelling for both senses.
Alternate kanji spelling using 訓み; less common and may be considered non-standard.
Compound of 読み (yomi, 'reading') + 下し (kudashi, 'sending down; lowering'), from the verb 読み下す (yomikudasu). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term likely originated in the context of kanbun (classical Chinese) studies.