Museums & Galleries in Chinese 博物馆
bówùguǎn
Museum in Chinese is 博物馆 (bó wù guǎn).
Also searched for as: museum, art gallery, exhibition.
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The word for museum in Chinese is 博物馆 (bó wù guǎn), literally a 'hall of many things', and an art gallery is 美术馆 (měi shù guǎn). These words help you plan a visit, from booking ahead with 预约 (yù yuē) to renting an audio guide, spotting signs like 禁止拍照 (jìn zhǐ pāi zhào), 'no photography', and finding the gift shop on the way out. They're especially useful in China, where popular museums often require advance booking.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 博物馆 | bó wù guǎn | museum |
| 美术馆 | měi shù guǎn | art gallery |
| 展览 | zhǎn lǎn | exhibition |
| 展品 | zhǎn pǐn | exhibit |
| 文物 | wén wù | cultural relic |
| 讲解员 | jiǎng jiě yuán | guide (in a museum) |
| 语音导览 | yǔ yīn dǎo lǎn | audio guide |
| 预约 | yù yuē | to book in advance |
| 禁止拍照 | jìn zhǐ pāi zhào | no photography |
| 闭馆 | bì guǎn | closing (of a museum) |
| 古代 | gǔ dài | ancient times |
| 恐龙 | kǒng lóng | dinosaur |
| 历史悠久 | lì shǐ yōu jiǔ | long history |
| 值得 | zhí de | worth it |
| 纪念品商店 | jì niàn pǐn shāng diàn | gift shop |
Usage tips
- 馆 (guǎn) marks a public building, so once you know it you can decode 图书馆 (tú shū guǎn) library, 美术馆 (měi shù guǎn) gallery and 体育馆 (tǐ yù guǎn) sports hall.
- 看展 (kàn zhǎn), short for 看展览 (kàn zhǎn lǎn), is the casual way to say 'go and see an exhibition'.
- Signs use the formal 禁止 (jìn zhǐ), 'prohibited', as in 禁止拍照 or 禁止触摸 (jìn zhǐ chù mō), 'do not touch', but in speech people say 不能拍照 (bù néng pāi zhào).
Common mistakes
- Using 访问 (fǎng wèn) for visiting a museum → that's for official visits or interviews; say 参观博物馆 (cān guān bó wù guǎn) or just 去博物馆 (qù bó wù guǎn).
- Using 古代 (gǔ dài) as an adjective, as in 很古代 → 古代 is a period, 'ancient times', used before 的: 古代的花瓶 (gǔ dài de huā píng); for 'very old' say 很古老 (hěn gǔ lǎo).
Mini dialogue
- A明天我们去参观博物馆吧。Míng tiān wǒ men qù cān guān bó wù guǎn ba.Let's visit the museum tomorrow.
- B好啊，不过要提前预约吗？Hǎo a, bù guò yào tí qián yù yuē ma?Sure, but do we need to book in advance?
- A要，我已经在网上约好了。还可以租语音导览。Yào, wǒ yǐ jīng zài wǎng shang yuē hǎo le. Hái kě yǐ zū yǔ yīn dǎo lǎn.Yes, I've already booked online. We can rent audio guides too.
- B太好了。里面能拍照吗？Tài hǎo le. Lǐ miàn néng pāi zhào ma?Great. Can we take photos inside?
- A有的展厅禁止拍照，我们看看标志吧。Yǒu de zhǎn tīng jìn zhǐ pāi zhào, wǒ men kàn kan biāo zhì ba.Some rooms don't allow photos, so we'll check the signs.
Example sentences
- 这个博物馆免费参观。This museum is free to visit.
- 周末去美术馆看展。Going to see an exhibition at the gallery this weekend.
- 这个展览到下个月结束。This exhibition runs until next month.
- 别碰展品。Don't touch the exhibits.
- 博物馆里有很多古代文物。The museum has lots of ancient relics.
- 讲解员讲得很清楚。The guide explained things really clearly.
- 可以租一个语音导览。You can rent an audio guide.
- 参观要提前预约。You need to book your visit in advance.
- 这里禁止拍照。No photos allowed here.
- 博物馆五点闭馆。The museum closes at five.
- 这是古代的花瓶。This is an ancient vase.
- 孩子们最喜欢看恐龙。Kids love seeing the dinosaurs.
- 这座城市历史悠久。This city has a long history.
- 这个博物馆很值得去。This museum is well worth a visit.
- 出口有纪念品商店。There's a gift shop by the exit.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Museums & galleries speaking island has 8 everyday questions about museums & galleries to prepare your own answers to.