Meaning
起草 means to draft or prepare the initial version of a formal document, text, or plan. It combines 起 (to start) and 草 (grass, rough), literally meaning 'to start a rough version.' This word is commonly used in professional, legal, and governmental contexts when referring to creating preliminary versions of documents.
Usage
起草 is a formal term typically used in professional and official contexts. It's most commonly used with documents like contracts, reports, proposals, laws, and regulations. Native speakers use it when emphasizing the preliminary nature of document creation, before final review and approval.
Examples
- 01我们需要起草一份新的合作协议。.We need to draft a new cooperation agreement.
- 02这个法案是由专家委员会起草的。.This bill was drafted by the expert committee.
Characters
Common collocations
- 起草文件to draft a document
- 起草合同to draft a contract
- 起草报告to draft a report
- 起草法律to draft a law
Antonyms
Origin
草 (grass) has long been used metaphorically in Chinese to mean 'rough' or 'draft,' because grass-style calligraphy (草书) was fast and simplified. 起草 combines this with 起 (to initiate) to mean starting a rough draft.