Meaning of 摄影
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to take a photograph
- photography
- to shoot (a movie)
How to use 摄影
摄影 is a slightly formal word for photography as an activity, hobby, or profession, and it is also used for filming movies. In casual speech people usually say 拍照 (pāizhào) for snapping a photo. Example: 他的爱好是摄影。(Tā de àihào shì shèyǐng.) His hobby is photography.
摄 (shè) has the hand radical 扌, so picture a hand grabbing or capturing something. 影 (yǐng) means shadow or image, so 摄影 is a hand capturing an image, which is what a camera does.
Common mistake: Learners often read 摄 as niè because it looks like 聂 (niè), but the correct sound is shè with a fourth tone. Also avoid saying 我摄影了一张照片 for a quick snapshot. Use 拍了一张照片 (pāi le yì zhāng zhàopiàn) instead.
摄影 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.
摄 shè · to absorb · 13 strokes
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影 yǐng · shadow · 15 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 摄影.
| 电影 | diànyǐng | movie; film |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater |
| 影响 | yǐngxiǎng | influence; effect |
| 影片 | yǐngpiàn | a copy of a film; film; motion picture; movie |
| 影视 | yǐngshì | movies and television |
| 影子 | yǐngzi | shadow; reflection |
| 拍摄 | pāishè | to take (a picture); to shoot (a film) |
| 摄像机 | shèxiàngjī | video camera |
| 摄影师 | shèyǐngshī | photographer; cinematographer; cameraman |
| 摄像 | shèxiàng | to videotape |
| 阴影 | yīnyǐng | (lit. and fig.) shadow |
| 影响力 | yǐngxiǎnglì | influence; impact |
Questions about 摄影
What does 摄影 mean?
摄影 (shèyǐng) means "to take a photograph; photography" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 摄影?
摄影 is made of 2 characters: 摄 (13 strokes), 影 (15 strokes). That is 28 strokes in total.
Is 摄影 an HSK word?
Yes. 摄影 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 摄影 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 摄影 is written 攝影.
How do you say photographer in Chinese?
A photographer is 摄影师 (shèyǐngshī). The ending 师 (shī) marks a skilled professional, as in 老师 (lǎoshī), teacher.
What is the difference between 摄影 and 照相?
照相 (zhàoxiàng) and 拍照 mean taking a picture in everyday situations. 摄影 sounds more artistic or technical and also covers film shooting, as in 摄影机 (shèyǐngjī), a film camera.