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京剧 (Jīng jù) — Beijing opera (traditional Chinese opera with stylized acting, singing, makeup, and costumes)

Definition

京剧 is Beijing opera specifically — the most famous form of Chinese traditional opera. Use 戏曲 for the broader category of regional operas, and 歌剧 for Western opera.

noun
Beijing opera (traditional Chinese opera with stylized acting, singing, makeup, and costumes)
Measure word · 场, 出

Examples

  • 京剧。
    Wǒ yé ye hěn xǐ huan kàn Jīng jù.
    My grandpa really likes watching Beijing opera.
  • 京剧。
    Zhè chǎng Jīng jù de biǎo yǎn fēi cháng jīng cǎi.
    The performance of this Beijing opera is very wonderful.
  • 京剧。
    Jīng jù Shì zhōng guó chuán tǒng yì shù de yì zhǒng.
    Beijing opera is a form of traditional Chinese art.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

京jīngBeijing
剧jùopera

京 Beijing and 剧 opera combine to name the opera of Beijing.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

京 originally drew a tall building.

Open 京 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 劇; 剧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
豦
豦jù劇jù
Same sound today

The traditional form 劇 pairs 豦, which gives the sound, with 刀, a knife; the simplified 剧 is a later shorthand.

Open 剧 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4

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