排戏 (pái xì) — to rehearse (a play, performance)

Definition

排戏 means 'to rehearse a play or performance' — a separable verb (离合词): 排戏 → 排了一场戏 / 排完戏. Use 排练 for rehearsing speeches, music, or any non-dramatic rehearsal.

verb
to rehearse (a play, performance)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā men pái le yí xià wǔ de xì.
    They rehearsed plays all afternoon.
  • 排戏。
    Wǒ men míng tiān xià wǔ pái xì.
    We'll rehearse the play tomorrow afternoon.
  • 排戏。
    Zhè ge jù tuán zhèng zài pái xì.
    This troupe is currently rehearsing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

排páiarrange
戏xìplay

排 “arrange” and 戏 “play” combine to mean arranging or rehearsing a play.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi排pái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

排 uses 扌 (hand) to show arranging something with the hand, and 非 for the sound; this gives the sense of placing things in a line.

Open 排 →

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 →

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