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戏剧 (xì jù) — drama, play (as a literary or performance work); theater (as an art form)

Definition

戏剧 refers to the art form or genre of drama/theater as a whole (the work itself, like 'drama' or 'play'). 剧院 and 剧场 are the buildings or venues where you watch it; 话剧 is a specific modern stage-play type within it.

noun
dramaplay (as a literary or performance work)theater (as an art form)
Measure word · 出

Examples

  • 戏剧。
    Zhè bù xì jù huò dé le guó jì dà jiǎng.
    This play won an international award.
  • 戏剧。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù duì xì jù hěn gǎn xìng qù.
    He has been very interested in drama since childhood.
  • 戏剧。
    Zhōu mò wǒ men qù kàn xì jù ba.
    Let's go see a play this weekend.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

戏xìdrama
剧jùplay

戏 (drama) and 剧 (play) both point to dramatic performance, so together they name a play or 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 戲; 戏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gēhalberd
Sound part声符shēngfú
䖒
䖒䖒戲xì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 戲, the shape combines 戈 (halberd) with 䖒, which gives the sound; the word originally meant an army's wing or flank. The simplified 戏 is a later shorthand, not the form described here.

Open 戏 →

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 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Film & Theater5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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