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演戏 (yǎn xì) — to act in a play, to perform on stage; (figurative) to pretend, to put on an act

Definition

Literally 'perform a play', but figuratively means to put on an act — to pretend or fake emotions rather than act for the stage.

verb
to act in a playto perform on stage(figurative) to pretendto put on an act

Examples

  • 。
    Tā men yǎn le yì chū fēi cháng jīng cǎi de xì.
    They put on a very wonderful play.
  • 演戏，。
    Bié yǎn xì le, wǒ zhī dào nǐ gēn běn méi shēng qì.
    Stop pretending — I know you're not angry at all.
  • 演戏，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù xǐ huan yǎn xì, hòu lái chéng le zhuān yè yǎn yuán.
    She loved acting since she was a child, and later became a professional actor.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

演yǎnperform
戏xìplay

演戏 combines 演 'perform' and 戏 'play' to mean act on stage.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
寅
寅yín演yǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

演 pairs 氵 (water) with 寅, which gives the sound yín.

Open 演 →

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
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