反串 (fǎn chuàn) — (verb) to play a role outside one's usual type, especially cross-gender performance in opera or theater; (verb, extended) to temporarily take on a non-customary role or identity

Definition

In Chinese opera and theater, 反串 means an actor plays a role outside their usual type — most famously a male actor taking a female role (旦角), as in Beijing opera.

verb
to play a role outside one's usual type, especially cross-gender performance in opera or theater(verb, extended) to temporarily take on a non-customary role or identity

Examples

  • 反串。
    Tā zài nà bù diàn yǐng lǐ fǎn chuàn le yí gè nǚ jué sè.
    In that movie, he played a female role (cross-dressing/cross-gender).
  • 反串。
    Jīng jù zhōng yǒu hěn duō nán yǎn yuán fǎn chuàn dàn jué.
    In Beijing opera, many male actors play female roles (dan roles).
  • ，反串。
    Jīn tiān de wǎn huì shàng, tā fǎn chuàn le yí gè gǔ dài jiāng jūn.
    At today's party, he dressed up as an ancient general (a role outside his usual persona).

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.

反fǎnopposite
串chuànplay a role

反 means opposite or reversed, and 串 means to play a role, so the sense is a reversed role.

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
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
厂
厂chǎng反fǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

反 uses 又 (hand) for meaning and 厂 for sound. Its original shape showed a hand turning its palm over, giving the sense of return or reverse.

Open 反 →

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

The shape 串 is a picture of objects strung together.

Open 串 →

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