hoạt bản
Definition
- Noun:
- A wax printing block: A printing block created by arranging and fixing individual, movable type characters (typically made of wood or metal) onto a base using wax as the adhesive.
- A wax-based printing form: A specific historical method of typesetting where characters are composed and secured with wax to produce a single, reusable block for printing.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Các hoạt bản từ thế kỷ 15 rất hiếm và có giá trị. (Wax printing blocks from the 15th century are very rare and valuable.)
- Kỹ thuật tạo hoạt bản cho phép chỉnh sửa văn bản dễ dàng hơn so với bản khắc gỗ nguyên khối. (The technique of creating a wax printing form allowed for easier text correction compared to a solid woodblock.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "hoạt bản" is primarily used in historical and academic contexts related to the history of printing, bibliography, or textual studies in East Asia, particularly Vietnam and China. It refers to a transitional technology between woodblock printing and modern movable type printing with metal or permanent fixtures.
Variants and Related Words
- Mộc bản (n): Woodblock. A solid block of wood with text or images carved in relief for printing.
- Hoạt tự (n): Movable type. Individual, reusable characters used for typesetting.
Synonyms
- Wax-type printing block
- Wax-mounted type form
Related Concepts
- Typesetting: The process of arranging individual characters for printing.
- Xylography: The technical term for woodblock printing. Hoạt bản represents an alternative, wax-based assembly method for creating a similar printing surface.