复印
to photocopy; to copy
fùyìn
What does 复印 mean?
复印 (fùyìn) means 'to photocopy' — to reproduce a physical document on a copier or printer. It is the everyday word used at copy shops, offices, government windows, and schools. Two contrasts with English: first, 复印 specifically refers to MACHINE copying (Xerox-style), while 抄 (chāo) means 'to copy by hand' and 复制 (fùzhì) is the broader 'to duplicate / reproduce' (used for files, software, music, anything digital).
Don't confuse them — '复印这本书' means run it through a copier, while '抄写这本书' means hand-write a copy. Second, the noun 'a copy / photocopy' is 复印件 (fùyìnjiàn) — '请给我一份复印件' 'please give me a copy.' The room/shop where copying happens is a 复印店 or has a 复印机 (photocopier).
Note: Standard word at any copy shop, office, or school. Not slangy, not stiff — just the everyday term for using a copy machine.
Character breakdown
again; repeat; duplicate
to print; seal; stamp
Memory hook: 复 'again' + 印 'print' = print again — a photocopy.
Example sentences
请帮我复印这份文件。
Qǐng bāng wǒ fùyìn zhè fèn wénjiàn.
Please help me photocopy this document.
spoken, polite
我要复印三份。
Wǒ yào fùyìn sān fèn.
I need to make three copies.
spoken
学校的复印机坏了。
Xuéxiào de fùyìnjī huài le.
The photocopier at school is broken.
spoken
请把身份证复印一下。
Qǐng bǎ shēnfènzhèng fùyìn yíxià.
Please photocopy your ID card.
neutral
这是原件，那是复印件。
Zhè shì yuánjiàn, nà shì fùyìnjiàn.
This is the original; that is the photocopy.
neutral
Common phrases with 复印
Synonyms
复制 = 'duplicate / reproduce,' the broad word covering digital files, software, audio, video, and physical objects. 复印 is specifically for paper copies on a photocopier. Right-click 'Copy' on a file is 复制, not 复印.
抄 = 'to copy by hand,' as in copying notes off the board or transcribing text. 复印 uses a machine. Students 抄笔记; offices 复印 documents.
Don't confuse 复印 with
复习 = 'to review' (review lessons before a test). 复印 = 'to photocopy.' Both start with 复 but the second character and meaning are completely different. Beginners often misread one as the other.
印 alone means 'to print' or refers to a seal/stamp (印章 a seal). 复印 specifically means photocopying — reproducing an existing document, not first-time printing from a computer (which is 打印 dǎyìn).
打印 = 'to print' from a computer (打印机 printer). 复印