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HSK 1

电影

movie; film

nounneutral7 episodes
电
diàn4th tone
影
yǐng3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
diànyǐng
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
20
Register
neutral
Measure word
部 / 场
In episodes
7

Stroke order for 电影

电影 is written with 20 strokes (电: 5, 影: 15). The animation replays automatically.

What does 电影 mean?

电影 (diànyǐng) is the standard Chinese word for 'movie' or 'film,' literally 'electric shadow' — a calque from the early 20th-century way of describing projected light on a screen.

It is the neutral term used in conversation, on tickets, and in writing. Watching a movie is 看电影 (kàn diànyǐng), and the venue is 电影院 (diànyǐngyuàn).

Two things to know: first, the measure word is 部 for the film as a work (一部电影) and 场 for a specific screening (一场电影); second, native speakers say 看电影 even for streaming on a phone, so the word is not limited to theaters. There is no separate everyday word for 'film' vs 'movie' in Chinese.

Character by character

电diànelectricity; electric
+
影yǐngshadow; image
=
电影

Memory hook: Literally 'electric shadow' — pictures projected by electric light onto a screen. The 1900s description stuck.

Hear 电影 in real episodes

电影 appears in 7 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

Harry Potter fans piled socks at Dobby's grave, causing a £430 million-plus undersea cable to be rerouted.电影 spoken at natural speedeasyHarry Potter fans left many socks at Dobby's grave, and a £430 million-plus undersea cable changed its route because of it.电影 spoken at natural speedbeginnerMatthew McConaughey Met the Pope, Who Is the First American Pope.电影 spoken at natural speedbeginnerThe Devil Wears Prada returns with a sequel after 20 years, but hardly anyone reads magazines anymore.电影 spoken at natural speedeasyThe movie The Devil Wears Prada has a sequel 20 years later: now, fewer and fewer people read magazines.电影 spoken at natural speedbeginnerTwo decades later, The Devil Wears Prada gets a sequel — and the decline of print magazines becomes the story's new throughline.电影 spoken at natural speedmedium
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Example sentences

我们今天晚上去看电影吧。

Wǒmen jīntiān wǎnshang qù kàn diànyǐng ba.

Let's go see a movie tonight.

spoken

这部电影很好看。

Zhè bù diànyǐng hěn hǎokàn.

This movie is really good.

neutral

你喜欢中国电影吗？

Nǐ xǐhuan zhōngguó diànyǐng ma?

Do you like Chinese movies?

spoken

电影院在那边。

Diànyǐngyuàn zài nàbiān.

The movie theater is over there.

spoken

Common phrases with 电影

看电影kàn diànyǐngwatch a movie
电影院diànyǐngyuànmovie theater / cinema
电影票diànyǐng piàomovie ticket
一部电影yí bù diànyǐngone movie (as a work)
中国电影zhōngguó diànyǐngChinese cinema / Chinese films

Synonyms

影片yǐngpiàn

影片 is more formal/written, used in reviews, news, and industry contexts. 电影 is the everyday word — use it in speech and casual writing.

Don't confuse 电影 with

电视diànshì

电视 is 'television / TV,' the medium and the device. 电影 is a film. 看电视 = watch TV; 看电影 = watch a movie.

影子yǐngzi

影子 is a literal shadow (the dark shape behind you in sunlight). 电影 borrows 影 metaphorically — 'electric shadow' — but the two words are not interchangeable.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

办法method, plan打电话to make a phone call地方place, part第一first电话phone call电视television电线electric line, cable东西thing封面(magazine) cover讽刺irony, satire公司company广告advertising, ad

Acquire it by listening

Meet 电影 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

You just saw 电影 in 7 episodes. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.