TongTong
Sign in

剧情 (jù qíng) — plot; storyline

Definition

剧情 means 'plot' or 'storyline' of a finished work (film, TV, novel). 情节 is more about the events and details themselves; 话剧/戏剧 are stage dramas, not the plot inside them.

noun
plotstoryline

Examples

  • 剧情。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō de jù qíng fēi cháng jīng cǎi.
    The plot of this novel is very exciting.
  • 剧情。
    Tā huā le hěn jiǔ cái míng bai zhěng gè jù qíng.
    It took him a long time to understand the whole plot.
  • 剧情。
    Guān zhòng duì jù qíng de píng jià hěn gāo.
    The audience has high praise for the plot.

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.

剧jùdrama
情qíngsituation

剧 (drama) and 情 (situation) combine to mean the situation unfolding in a drama.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng情qíng
Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Film & Theater

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.