TV show genres in Chinese 电视剧类型
diànshìjù lèixíng
TV series in Chinese is 电视剧 (diàn shì jù).
Also searched for as: types of TV shows, TV series genres, kinds of TV dramas, TV series in Chinese.
Costume dramas, cop shows and everything in between. 15 essential TV show genres 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.
TV series in Chinese are 电视剧 (diàn shì jù), and most genre names simply end in 剧 (jù), "drama". Chinese television is especially known for 古装剧 (gǔ zhuāng jù), lavish costume dramas, and 仙侠剧 (xiān xiá jù), fantasy epics full of flying immortals. You'll also need words for foreign imports such as 韩剧 (hán jù) and 美剧 (měi jù), and the bite-sized 短剧 (duǎn jù) made for phone screens.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 电视剧 | diàn shì jù | TV series; TV drama |
| 古装剧 | gǔ zhuāng jù | costume drama; period drama |
| 现代剧 | xiàn dài jù | contemporary drama |
| 都市剧 | dū shì jù | urban drama (set in a modern city) |
| 偶像剧 | ǒu xiàng jù | idol drama |
| 家庭剧 | jiā tíng jù | family drama |
| 悬疑剧 | xuán yí jù | mystery series |
| 刑侦剧 | xíng zhēn jù | crime series; police procedural |
| 谍战剧 | dié zhàn jù | spy drama |
| 历史剧 | lì shǐ jù | historical drama |
| 仙侠剧 | xiān xiá jù | xianxia drama (immortal fantasy) |
| 美剧 | měi jù | American TV series |
| 韩剧 | hán jù | Korean drama |
| 英剧 | yīng jù | British TV series |
| 短剧 | duǎn jù | short drama; micro-drama |
Usage tips
- Foreign shows are named by a country syllable plus 剧: 美剧 (měi jù) American, 英剧 (yīng jù) British, 韩剧 (hán jù) Korean, 日剧 (rì jù) Japanese. Chinese-made shows are 国产剧 (guó chǎn jù).
- 追剧 (zhuī jù), "chasing a drama", means following a series as new episodes come out, and 刷剧 (shuā jù) means bingeing. The measure word for a series is 部 (bù), and an episode is a 集 (jí).
- 仙侠剧 (xiān xiá jù) feature immortals and magical cultivation, while 武侠 (wǔ xiá) stories focus on human martial artists. Both usually count as 古装剧 (gǔ zhuāng jù).
Common mistakes
- Learners call a drama series a 节目 (jié mù), "programme". 节目 is for variety, news or talk shows; a scripted series is a 电视剧 (diàn shì jù) or just 剧 (jù).
- A TV season isn't 季节 (jì jié), which is a season of the year. Use 季 (jì) on its own: 第二季 (dì èr jì), season two.
Mini dialogue
- A你最近在追什么剧？Nǐ zuì jìn zài zhuī shén me jù?What are you watching at the moment?
- B一部古装剧，衣服特别好看。你呢？Yī bù gǔ zhuāng jù, yī fu tè bié hǎo kàn. Nǐ ne?A costume drama, the outfits are gorgeous. What about you?
- A我在看英剧，一季只有六集，很快就看完了。Wǒ zài kàn yīng jù, yī jì zhǐ yǒu liù jí, hěn kuài jiù kàn wán le.I'm watching a British show. A season only has six episodes, so I got through it quickly.
- B我更喜欢悬疑剧，每集都有反转。Wǒ gèng xǐ huan xuán yí jù, měi jí dōu yǒu fǎn zhuǎn.I prefer mystery series, there's a twist in every episode.
Example sentences
- 我妈每天晚上都看电视剧。My mum watches TV dramas every evening.
- 古装剧里的衣服真好看。The costumes in period dramas are so pretty.
- 比起古装剧，我更喜欢现代剧。I prefer contemporary dramas to costume dramas.
- 这部都市剧讲的是年轻人在北京打拼。This urban drama is about young people working hard to make it in Beijing.
- 偶像剧的男主角都特别帅。The male leads in idol dramas are always really handsome.
- 家庭剧里总有婆媳矛盾。There's always mother-in-law conflict in family dramas.
- 这部悬疑剧每集都有反转。This mystery series has a twist in every episode.
- 刑侦剧看多了，我也想当警察。I've watched so many crime series I want to be a police officer.
- 谍战剧的剧情特别烧脑。Spy dramas have really mind-bending plots.
- 看历史剧能学到不少历史知识。You can learn a lot of history from historical dramas.
- 仙侠剧里的人都会飞。Everyone in xianxia dramas can fly.
- 他靠看美剧练英语。He practises his English by watching American shows.
- 韩剧看一集就停不下来。Once you watch one episode of a Korean drama you can't stop.
- 英剧一季通常只有几集。A season of a British show usually only has a few episodes.
- 现在很多人在手机上刷短剧。Lots of people binge short dramas on their phones these days.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The TV show genres speaking island has 8 everyday questions about TV show genres to prepare your own answers to.