大戏 (dà xì) — major or key theatrical works; Beijing opera (colloquial)

Definition

Literally 'big play', 大戏 refers to a full-scale traditional Chinese opera performance — usually 京剧 — rather than a small-scale show. It can also broadly mean a major or epic dramatic work.

noun
major or key theatrical worksBeijing opera (colloquial)
Measure word · 出

Examples

  • 大戏。
    Zhè chǎng dà xì shì jīn nián zuì shòu qī dài de zuò pǐn.
    This major play is the most anticipated work of the year.
  • 大戏，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo xǐ huan kàn dà xì, yóu qí shì jīng jù.
    He has loved watching Beijing opera since childhood, especially Peking opera.
  • 大戏。
    dà xì Zài zhōng guó chuán tǒng wén huà zhōng zhàn yǒu zhòng yào dì wèi.
    Major theatrical plays hold an important place in traditional Chinese culture.

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.

大dàbig
戏xìplay

大 (big) and 戏 (play) mean a major play, or colloquially Beijing opera.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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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