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演艺圈 (yǎn yì quān) — the performing arts industry; show business; entertainment circles

Definition

Refers to the performing arts industry as a social circle or world — the people, companies, and networks of entertainment. More colloquial than 娱乐圈, which centers on pop music and celebrity gossip.

noun
the performing arts industryshow businessentertainment circles

Examples

  • 演艺圈。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù mèng xiǎng jìn rù yǎn yì quān.
    She has dreamed of entering the performing arts industry since she was a child.
  • 演艺圈，。
    yǎn yì quān De jìng zhēng fēi cháng jī liè, xīn rén hěn nán chū tóu.
    Competition in show business is very fierce; it's hard for newcomers to stand out.
  • 演艺圈，。
    Tā zài yǎn yì quān mō pá gǔn dǎ èr shí nián, zhōng yú chéng le zhī míng dǎo yǎn.
    He struggled in the entertainment circles for twenty years and finally became a well-known director.

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.

演艺performing arts
演yǎnperformance艺yìart
偏正Modifier + head
圈quāncircle

演 is performance, 艺 is art, and 圈 is the circle of that world.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
乙
乙yǐ艺yì
Same sound today

In 艺, the top 艹 points to plants, and the lower 乙 gives the sound.

Open 艺 →

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
囗囗wéi
Sound part声符shēngfú
卷
卷juàn圈quān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

圈 is made of the outer 囗, an enclosure shape, and the inner 卷, which gives the sound.

Open 圈 →
Appears in
Film & Theater

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