观后感 (guān hòu gǎn) — post-viewing reflection or review (of a movie, exhibition, etc.)

Definition

A written piece (usually a short essay or article) recording your impressions and reactions after watching a film, show, or exhibition. Differs from 影评 (yǐngpíng), which is a professional film critique.

noun
post-viewing reflection or review (of a movie, exhibition, etc.)

Examples

  • 观后感。
    Wǒ kàn wán diàn yǐng hòu xiě le yì piān guān hòu gǎn.
    After watching the movie, I wrote a review.
  • 观后感，。
    Zhè piān guān hòu gǎn xiě dé fēi cháng quán miàn, duì diàn yǐng de píng jià hěn kè guān.
    This review is very comprehensive, and the evaluation of the film is objective.
  • ，观后感。
    Cān guān wán zhǎn lǎn hòu, dà jiā dōu xiě le guān hòu gǎn.
    After visiting the exhibition, everyone wrote their impressions.

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.

观后after watching
观guānwatch后hòuafter
偏正Modifier + head
感gǎnfeeling

观 'watch' and 后 'after' give after watching, and 感 'feeling' names the reflection.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 觀; 观 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn觀guān
Same sound today

The traditional form 觀 uses 見 (see) for meaning and 雚 for sound.

Open 观 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
咸
咸xián感gǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

感 pairs 咸, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, for feeling.

Open 感 →

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