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独角戏 (dú jiǎo xì) — monodrama; one-person play; one-man show; solo comedy performance; comic talk; stand-up routine (in the Chinese performing-arts tradition)

Definition

Literally 'one-horn play': a solo performance or one-person show (theater, comic routine). Also used figuratively when one person does all the work without help, e.g. 唱独角戏 ('carrying the whole show alone').

noun
monodramaone-person playone-man showsolo comedy performancecomic talkstand-up routine (in the Chinese performing-arts tradition)
Measure word · 出

Examples

  • 独角戏，。
    Zhè chǎng dú jiǎo xì fēi cháng jīng cǎi, guān zhòng zhǎng shēng bú duàn.
    This one-man show was brilliant — the audience kept applauding.
  • 独角戏。
    Tā yí gè rén zài tái shàng yǎn le èr shí fēn zhōng de dú jiǎo xì.
    He performed a monodrama alone on stage for twenty minutes.
  • ，独角戏。
    Méi yǒu dā dàng, tā zhǐ néng chàng dú jiǎo xì.
    Without a partner, she could only carry the whole show by herself.

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.

独角solo role
独dúalone角jiǎorole
偏正Modifier + head
戏xìplay

独 'alone' and 角 'role' together describe 戏 'play', giving a play performed by one person.

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 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Open 独 →

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

The form 角 is a picture of a horn.

Open 角 →

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 →
Appears in
Film & Theater

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