Meaning of 情节
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- circumstances
- plot; storyline
How to use 情节
情节 is most often used for the plot of a novel, film, or TV drama. In legal or formal writing it also means the circumstances of a case, as in 情节严重 (qíngjié yánzhòng), serious circumstances. Example: 这部电影的情节很复杂。(Zhè bù diànyǐng de qíngjié hěn fùzá.) The plot of this movie is very complicated.
情 (qíng) means feelings or situation, as in 爱情 (àiqíng) and 事情 (shìqing), and 节 (jié) means a section, as in 节目 (jiémù). Put them together and you get the sections of a situation, the way events unfold in a story.
Common mistake: Learners often swap 情节 with 情况 (qíngkuàng). 情况 is a general situation or condition, while 情节 is a storyline or the specific details of a case. Also keep 节 in the second tone, jié, not the third tone.
情节 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
情 qíng · feelings · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
节 jié · joint · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 情节.
| 事情 | shìqing | affair; matter; thing; business |
| 节目 | jiémù | (TV or radio) program; show; item; act; segment; number (on the program of a concert, vari |
| 爱情 | àiqíng | romance; love (romantic) |
| 心情 | xīnqíng | mood; frame of mind |
| 热情 | rèqíng | cordial; enthusiastic |
| 节日 | jiérì | holiday; festival |
| 音节 | yīnjié | syllable |
| 春节 | Chūnjié | Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) |
| 情况 | qíngkuàng | circumstances; state of affairs; situation |
| 感情 | gǎnqíng | emotion; sentiment; affection; feelings between two persons |
| 情感 | qínggǎn | feeling; emotion |
| 节约 | jiéyuē | to economize; to conserve (resources) |
Questions about 情节
What does 情节 mean?
情节 (qíngjié) means "circumstances; plot; storyline" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 情节?
情节 is made of 2 characters: 情 (11 strokes), 节 (5 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 情节 an HSK word?
Yes. 情节 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 情节 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 情节 is written 情節.
What is the difference between 情节 and 故事?
故事 (gùshi) is the whole story you can tell someone. 情节 is the plot structure, meaning the sequence and turns of events inside that story. You tell a 故事, but you describe or analyze its 情节.
What adjectives commonly go with 情节?
Common pairings include 情节曲折 (qíngjié qūzhé), a plot full of twists, 情节简单 (qíngjié jiǎndān), a simple plot, and 情节感人 (qíngjié gǎnrén), a moving plot. In legal contexts you will see 情节严重 and 情节轻微 (qíngjié qīngwēi), minor circumstances.