织布 (zhī bù) literally means 'to weave cloth' — combining 织 (zhī), meaning 'to weave' or 'to knit', and 布 (bù), meaning 'cloth' or 'fabric'. It refers specifically to the traditional, manual process of interlacing threads on a loom to produce fabric. Historically central to rural life in China, 织布 was often done by women at home or in small workshops, using cotton, silk, or hemp fibers.

Today, while industrial textile production dominates, 织布 is still used to describe hand-weaving as a craft, cultural activity, or historical practice. It appears in contexts such as folk art demonstrations, museum exhibits, heritage education, and descriptions of traditional livelihoods. The term carries connotations of patience, skill, and artisanal tradition — it’s rarely used for modern machine-based textile manufacturing, which would use terms like 生产布料 (shēngchǎn bùliào, 'produce fabric').