Explanation - Explanation

…However, when we say a piece of writing, it generally refers to a long, continuous piece of prose in written language. These pieces of writing can be divided into those for communicating with a specific person (letters), those for recording and reporting facts (articles), those for storing and explaining knowledge in an organized way (explanatory texts), and those for making the reader appreciate, think, and act (literary works and editorials). In terms of the way the subject is developed and the structure of the paragraphs, letters have a format in which they are ordered as follows: opening, question, main text, conclusion, signature, address, and postscript. In addition, Chinese poetry has an introduction, development, twist, and conclusion; Buddhist sutras have an introduction, main text, and circulation section; and Western rhetoric has an introduction, discourse, proof, and conclusion, as well as an opening, main text, and closing. It is especially important to have a standard format for developing a piece of writing to make it easier to understand. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention the "explanatory text" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…しかし一般に文章というときは，書きことばで文の長く連続した散文形式のものをさす。これらの文章は，その執筆目的から，特定の相手と交信するための文(書簡文)，事実を記録し報道するための文(記事文)，知識を秩序だてて保存し解説するための文(解説文)，読み手に味わわせ考えさせ行動させるための文(文芸作品や論説文)等に分けられようが，その主題の展開法，段落構造については，書簡文に起筆･問候･本文･結尾･署名･宛名･追伸と列序する書式があるほか，漢詩で起･承･転･結，仏経で序分･正宗分･流通分，また西洋修辞学(レトリック)で序論･説話･証明･結論，また冒頭･本文･結尾などの区分が一般に説かれる。知的な内容の文章にあっては特に，理解を容易にするために，展開の標準形式が定まっていることは必要である。…

※「解説文」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報