Meaning of 戏
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- trick
- drama
- play
- show
Measure word: 齣|出,場|场,臺|台
- variant of 戲|戏[xi4]
How to use 戏
戏 (xì) means a play, drama, or show, and it appears in many common words like 游戏 (yóuxì, game), 演戏 (yǎnxì, to act), and 拍戏 (pāixì, to shoot a film). On its own it often means a show or an acting role. Example: 我们晚上去看戏吧。(Wǒmen wǎnshang qù kàn xì ba.) Let's go see a show tonight.
The simplified 戏 has 又 (yòu, a hand) on the left and 戈 (gē, an old weapon) on the right. Picture a hand waving a prop spear on stage, and you have a play or a show.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 弋 (yì) and drop a stroke, but it must be the full 戈 with its extra slash. Also keep the fourth tone, xì. Do not say xī, which sounds like 西 (west).
戏 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.
戏 xì · trick · 6 strokes
- 1
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- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 戏.
| 游戏 | yóuxì | game (CL:場|场[chang3]); to play |
| 戏剧 | xìjù | a drama; a play; theater; script of a play |
| 游戏机 | yóuxìjī | video game machine; video game console |
| 戏曲 | xìqǔ | Chinese opera |
| 演戏 | yǎnxì | to put on a play; to perform |
| 拍戏 | pāixì | to shoot a movie |
| 马戏 | mǎxì | circus |
| 把戏 | bǎxì | acrobatics; jugglery; trick; ploy |
| 马戏团 | mǎxìtuán | circus |
| 没戏 | méixì | (coll.) not a chance; no way |
| 戏剧性 | xìjùxìng | dramatic |
| 戏弄 | xìnòng | to play tricks on; to make fun of |
Questions about 戏
What does 戏 mean?
戏 (xì) means "trick; drama" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 戏?
戏 is made of 1 character: 戏 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 戏 an HSK word?
Yes. 戏 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 戏 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 戏 is written 戲.
What does 有戏 mean in spoken Chinese?
有戏 (yǒu xì) literally means 'there is a show,' but people use it to say something has a chance of working out. 没戏 (méi xì) means it is hopeless. For example, 这事没戏了 (zhè shì méi xì le) means 'this has no chance now.'
What is the difference between 戏剧 and 戏曲?
戏剧 (xìjù) is a general word for drama or theater, including modern spoken plays. 戏曲 (xìqǔ) refers specifically to traditional Chinese opera, such as Peking opera, with singing and stylized movement.