Essay Paper
Chinese essay paper (原稿纸, yuán gǎo zhǐ), also called Chinese manuscript paper, is composition paper ruled into a fixed 20×20 grid of small squares, giving 400 characters to a sheet at one character per square. It is the standard paper for writing essays and homework in Chinese, and the 400-character count is what makes an assignment’s length countable.
Also known as Chinese manuscript paper, Yuan Gao Zhi, composition paper, compo paper, 400 character essay paper.
作文纸 · 400格稿纸 · 原稿纸 PDF 免费打印 · 作文紙 · 稿紙 免費下載
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Essay Paper · 原稿纸 About this paper
Manuscript paper solves a problem that lined paper cannot: in Chinese, length is measured in characters, not words or lines. A sheet holds exactly 400 squares, so a 1,200-character essay is three sheets. Teachers set assignments in these units, and the paper does the counting for you.
One character goes in each square, and punctuation takes a square of its own. The sheet is landscape, with the columns divided by a gutter down the middle, and it is written in vertical columns in the traditional manner. Beyond homework, it is the paper for any long-form writing where you want your characters to stay uniform down the page.
| Chinese | 原稿纸 (yuán gǎo zhǐ) |
|---|---|
| Grid | 20 × 20, giving 400 characters per sheet |
| Orientation | Landscape, written in vertical columns |
| Best for | Essays, homework, long-form writing |
| Sizes | A4 and US Letter |
| Formats | PDF and PNG |
Questions
- What is Chinese manuscript paper?
- Chinese manuscript paper (原稿纸, yuán gǎo zhǐ), also called essay or composition paper, is ruled into a 20×20 grid of small squares, giving 400 characters per sheet at one character per square. It is the standard paper for Chinese essays and homework.
- How many characters fit on a sheet?
- Exactly 400, in a 20 by 20 grid. Because Chinese writing is measured in characters rather than words, this makes an essay’s length countable by the sheet: a 1,200-character assignment is three sheets.
- Does punctuation get its own square?
- Yes. Each punctuation mark takes a square of its own, exactly as a character does.
- Is this essay paper free?
- Yes. Download and print as many sheets as you like. No sign-up, no email address and no watermark.
The other practice papers
Somewhere to write. Now something to write.
The free paper gives you the grid. The Master Pack gives you the characters: the first 2,000, as posters, practice sheets with stroke order, reference sheets and flashcards, in simplified and traditional.