Meaning of 电视
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- television; TV
Measure word: 臺|台,部
How to use 电视
电视 can mean the TV programs or the TV itself, and the usual verb is 看 (kàn), to watch. For the physical set, people also say 电视机 (diànshìjī). Example: 我晚上看电视。(Wǒ wǎnshang kàn diànshì.) I watch TV in the evening.
电 (diàn) means electricity and 视 (shì) means to look or watch, so 电视 is the electric thing you watch. Think of it as "electric viewing."
Common mistake: Learners often say 看电视机 when they mean watching shows. Use 看电视 for watching, and save 电视机 for the device, as in 买电视机 (buy a TV set). Also keep both tones falling: diànshì, not diànshí.
电视 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
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
视 shì · to look at · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 电视.
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 电影 | diànyǐng | movie; film |
| 电脑 | diànnǎo | computer |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater |
| 电视机 | diànshìjī | television set |
| 重视 | zhòngshì | to attach importance to sth; to value |
| 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 | |
| 电视剧 | diànshìjù | TV series; TV drama |
Questions about 电视
What does 电视 mean?
电视 (diànshì) means "television; TV" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 电视?
电视 is made of 2 characters: 电 (5 strokes), 视 (8 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 电视 an HSK word?
Yes. 电视 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 电视 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 电视 is written 電視.
How do you say "TV show" or "TV series" in Chinese?
A TV program is 电视节目 (diànshì jiémù). A drama series is 电视剧 (diànshìjù), a very common word in daily conversation.
What measure word is used with 电视?
For the TV set, use 台 (tái), as in 一台电视 (yì tái diànshì), one TV. In casual speech you will also hear 个 (gè).