抄本 (chāo běn) literally combines 抄 (chāo), meaning 'to copy' or 'to transcribe', and 本 (běn), meaning 'book', 'volume', or 'original document'. Together, it refers to a handwritten or manually reproduced version of a text — a manuscript copy. Unlike printed editions or digital files, a 抄本 emphasizes the physical, human act of copying, often preserving stylistic features, annotations, or errors from the scribe’s hand.

This term is commonly used in historical, academic, or archival contexts — for example, when describing ancient texts preserved through manual reproduction before printing existed, or modern students’ handwritten notes copied from lecture slides or textbooks. While less common in everyday speech today, 抄本 retains cultural weight in discussions of textual transmission, calligraphy, and traditional scholarship.