yìnshu

Yìnshu refers to a term that may have different meanings depending on context, but in Chinese usage it is not a common modern designation. The characters are 印 (seal, imprint) and 书 (book), which can collectively point to printed books or the act of imprinting in historical texts. In contemporary Chinese, the act of printing is more precisely described by 印刷 (yìnshuā), while 印书 may appear in bibliographic or antiquarian contexts to denote a printed edition or imprint, rather than the process itself.

Historically, the production of printed books in East Asia is central to the potential senses of yìnshu. Woodblock printing, which originated in China, allowed for the mass reproduction of texts and gave rise to various named editions (for example, woodblock editions, printed imprints, or facsimile forms). The later adoption of movable-type printing, first in China and then in other East Asian cultures, further expanded the distribution of printed literature. In modern scholarship, discussions of printed editions typically use terms such as 木刻本 (woodblock edition) or 活字本 (movable-type edition) rather than 印书.

In other languages or contexts, yìnshu might appear as a transliteration of a non-Chinese term or as part of a proper name, depending on the source. Without additional context, the exact meaning remains ambiguous.

See also: printing, woodblock printing, movable type, Chinese bibliographic terms.