‘查重’ literally means ‘check for repetition’ — ‘查’ (chá) means ‘to check, to examine’, and ‘重’ (chóng) here means ‘repetition, duplication’. Together, the term refers specifically to the process of detecting duplicated or copied content in written work, especially academic papers, reports, or manuscripts. It is widely used in educational and publishing contexts in China, where institutions rely on software tools (e.g., CNKI, Wanfang) to run automated plagiarism checks before accepting submissions.

The word functions as a noun and is commonly used in phrases like ‘论文查重’ (thesis plagiarism check), ‘查重率’ (plagiarism similarity rate), or ‘通过查重’ (pass the plagiarism check). While it originated in academic integrity practices, its usage has expanded to include content creation, journalism, and even internal corporate document review. It carries a formal, technical register and is rarely used in casual conversation.