游乐 (yóu lè) — to have fun, to amuse oneself, to play (often i…

Definition

Formal/written sense of 'to play, to amuse oneself,' mostly seen in compounds like 游乐场 and 设施. In everyday speech, use 玩 or 玩耍 instead.

verb

to have funto amuse oneselfto play (often in formal or compound contexts)

游乐。
Hái zi men zài yóu lè chǎng lǐ jìn qíng yóu lè.
The children had a great time playing at the amusement park.
游乐。
Zhè ge zhǔ tí gōng yuán yǒu xǔ duō yóu lè shè shī.
This theme park has many recreational facilities.
游乐？
Zhōu mò wǒ men yì qǐ qù jiāo wài yóu lè hǎo ma?
How about we go out to the countryside and have some fun this weekend?

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

游 and 乐 both refer to playing and enjoying.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

斿

斿yóu游yóu

Same sound today

游 combines 水 (water) with 斿, which gives the sound yóu and also relates to travelling.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Appears in