Meaning of 电影
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- movie; film
Measure word: 部
How to use 电影
电影 is the everyday word for a movie or film, and it pairs with the verb 看 (kàn) to mean watching one. The measure word is usually 部 (bù) or 个 (gè). Example: 我们晚上看电影吧。(Wǒmen wǎnshang kàn diànyǐng ba.) Let's watch a movie tonight.
电 (diàn) means electricity and 影 (yǐng) means shadow or image, so a movie is an "electric shadow" moving on a screen. Picture light from a projector casting shadows on the wall.
Common mistake: Learners often say 看电视 (kàn diànshì) when they mean a movie, or mix up 电影 with 电影院 (diànyǐngyuàn). 电影 is the film itself and 电影院 is the cinema where you watch it. Also keep the tones right: fourth tone then third tone, diàn yǐng.
电影 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.
电 diàn · lightning · 5 strokes
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影 yǐng · shadow · 15 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 电影.
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 电视 | diànshì | television; TV |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater |
| 电视机 | diànshìjī | television set |
| 影响 | yǐngxiǎng | influence; effect |
| 影片 | yǐngpiàn | a copy of a film; film; motion picture; movie |
| 电台 | diàntái | transmitter-receiver; broadcasting station |
| 电视台 | diànshìtái | television station |
| 影视 | yǐngshì | movies and television |
| 电子邮件 | diànzǐ yóujiàn |
Questions about 电影
What does 电影 mean?
电影 (diànyǐng) means "movie; film" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 电影?
电影 is made of 2 characters: 电 (5 strokes), 影 (15 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 电影 an HSK word?
Yes. 电影 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 电影 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 电影 is written 電影.
How do I say "go to the movies" in Chinese?
Say 去看电影 (qù kàn diànyǐng). If you want to stress the place, say 去电影院 (qù diànyǐngyuàn), which means going to the cinema.
What is the difference between 电影 and 片 or 片子?
电影 is the standard, neutral word for a movie. 片子 (piānzi) is a casual spoken word for a film, and 片 (piàn) appears in compounds like 动画片 (dònghuàpiàn), animated film.