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剧场 (jù chǎng) — theater

Definition

剧场 is the venue — a theater building where you watch performances. Contrast with 剧院 (also a venue, but often larger/more formal) and 戏剧 (the art form of drama, not a place).

noun
theater
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 剧场。
    Zhè ge jù chǎng néng zuò yì qiān rén.
    This theater can seat one thousand people.
  • 剧场。
    Zhōu mò wǒ men qù jù chǎng kàn huà jù ba.
    Let's go watch a play at the theater this weekend.
  • 剧场。
    jù chǎng Lǐ de guān zhòng dōu hěn ān jìng.
    The audience in the theater is very quiet.

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jùplay
场chǎngplace

剧 names plays and 场 names a place, so the word means a place for plays.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Film & Theater

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