Meaning of 童话
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- children's fairy tales
How to use 童话
童话 refers to fairy tales and children's stories, like those of Andersen or the Brothers Grimm. It is also used figuratively for something too perfect to be real. Example: 小时候我最喜欢听妈妈讲童话。(Xiǎoshíhou wǒ zuì xǐhuan tīng māma jiǎng tónghuà.) When I was little, I loved listening to my mom tell fairy tales.
童 (tóng) means child, and 话 (huà) means speech or story, so 童话 is literally child talk: the stories we tell children. Picture a child listening to someone speak, and you have a fairy tale.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 读童话 when telling a story aloud. With speaking, use 讲童话 (jiǎng tónghuà), and use 读 or 看 for reading. Also keep 话 in fourth tone here, unlike 笑话 (xiàohua), where it is usually neutral.
童话 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.
童 tóng · child · 12 strokes
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话 huà · dialect · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 童话.
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 的话 | dehuà | if (coming after a conditional clause) |
| 讲话 | jiǎnghuà | a speech; to speak |
| 笑话 | xiàohua | joke; jest; to laugh at; to mock |
| 对话 | duìhuà | to talk (with sb); dialogue; conversation |
| 普通话 | pǔtōnghuà | Putonghua; standard Mandarin |
| 笑话儿 | xiàohuar | erhua form of 笑話|笑话[xiao4 hua5] |
| 谈话 | tánhuà | to talk (with sb); to have a conversation |
| 话题 | huàtí | subject (of a talk or conversation); topic |
| 话剧 | huàjù | stage play; modern drama |
Questions about 童话
What does 童话 mean?
童话 (tónghuà) means "children's fairy tales" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 童话?
童话 is made of 2 characters: 童 (12 strokes), 话 (8 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 童话 an HSK word?
Yes. 童话 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 童话 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 童话 is written 童話.
How do you say fairy tale book or fairy tale world in Chinese?
A fairy tale book is 童话书 (tónghuà shū), and a fairy tale world is 童话世界 (tónghuà shìjiè). 童话般的 (tónghuà bān de) means fairy-tale-like, as in 童话般的城堡, a fairy-tale castle.
What is the difference between 童话 and 故事?
故事 (gùshi) is any story, true or made up, for any audience. 童话 is specifically a fantasy story for children, often with magic or talking animals. Every 童话 is a kind of 故事, but not the other way around.