Films & TV in Chinese 电影
diànyǐng
Film / TV series in Chinese are 电影 / 电视剧 (diàn yǐng / diàn shì jù).
Also searched for as: movie, film, tv show, tv series.
Hobby specifics: watching. 15 essential Films & TV words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for film in Chinese is 电影 (diàn yǐng), literally 'electric shadow', and television is 电视 (diàn shì), 'electric vision'. These words help you talk about what you watch, whether that's a 电视剧 (diàn shì jù), TV series, a comedy, a cartoon or a documentary, and who's in it. You'll also learn to ask the question every learner needs: 有中文字幕吗？ (yǒu Zhōng wén zì mù ma?), 'are there Chinese subtitles?'.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 电影 | diàn yǐng | film |
| 电影院 | diàn yǐng yuàn | cinema |
| 电视 | diàn shì | TV |
| 电视剧 | diàn shì jù | TV series |
| 节目 | jié mù | programme |
| 演员 | yǎn yuán | actor |
| 导演 | dǎo yǎn | director |
| 明星 | míng xīng | star; celebrity |
| 喜剧 | xǐ jù | comedy |
| 动画片 | dòng huà piàn | cartoon |
| 纪录片 | jì lù piàn | documentary |
| 字幕 | zì mù | subtitles |
| 票 | piào | ticket |
| 看 | kàn | to watch |
| 好看 | hǎo kàn | good-looking; good to watch |
Usage tips
- The measure word for films and series is 部 (bù): 一部电影 (yī bù diàn yǐng), 这部电视剧 (zhè bù diàn shì jù).
- 好看 (hǎo kàn) means good to watch, not just good-looking, so 这部电影很好看 (zhè bù diàn yǐng hěn hǎo kàn) is the everyday way to recommend a film.
- Chinese TV series often run to dozens of episodes, counted with 集 (jí), and Chinese subtitles are standard even on Mandarin programmes, which is a big help for learners.
Common mistakes
- Saying 我见了一部电影 for 'I saw a film' → the verb for watching is 看 (kàn): 我看了一部电影 (wǒ kàn le yī bù diàn yǐng).
- Using 电影 for the building → the cinema is 电影院 (diàn yǐng yuàn), and 'go to the cinema' is usually just 去看电影 (qù kàn diàn yǐng).
Mini dialogue
- A周末你想看什么电影？Zhōu mò nǐ xiǎng kàn shén me diàn yǐng?What film do you want to see this weekend?
- B我想看一部轻松的喜剧。Wǒ xiǎng kàn yī bù qīng sōng de xǐ jù.I fancy a light-hearted comedy.
- A好啊。这部电影的导演很有名，演员也不错。Hǎo a. Zhè bù diàn yǐng de dǎo yǎn hěn yǒu míng, yǎn yuán yě bù cuò.OK. This one's director is famous, and the actors are good too.
- B有中文字幕吗？我听不太懂。Yǒu Zhōng wén zì mù ma? Wǒ tīng bù tài dǒng.Does it have Chinese subtitles? I can't follow it very well just by listening.
- A有，放心吧。我去买票。Yǒu, fàng xīn ba. Wǒ qù mǎi piào.Yes, don't worry. I'll get the tickets.
Example sentences
- 我们晚上去看电影吧。Let's go and see a film tonight.
- 电影院里人很多。The cinema is very crowded.
- 奶奶每天晚上看电视。Grandma watches TV every evening.
- 这部电视剧一共有四十集。This TV series has forty episodes in total.
- 这个节目很有意思。This programme is very interesting.
- 他是一个有名的演员。He's a famous actor.
- 这部电影的导演是谁？Who directed this film?
- 很多人在机场等那个明星。Lots of people are waiting for that star at the airport.
- 我想看一部轻松的喜剧。I want to watch a light-hearted comedy.
- 孩子们都爱看动画片。Children all love watching cartoons.
- 昨晚我看了一部关于熊猫的纪录片。Last night I watched a documentary about pandas.
- 这部电影有中文字幕吗？Does this film have Chinese subtitles?
- 我已经买好两张票了。I've already bought two tickets.
- 周末你想看什么电影？What film do you want to watch this weekend?
- 这部电影特别好看！This film is really good!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Films & TV speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Films & TV to prepare your own answers to.