话剧

• Pinyin: huà jù
• Hanzi breakdown: 话 = 讠 (speech radical) + 舌 (tongue); 剧 = 豦 (phonetic) + 刂 (knife radical), meaning drama or intense

Meaning

Stage play; spoken drama. A theatrical performance where actors primarily use spoken dialogue rather than singing.

Refers specifically to Western-style spoken drama, as opposed to traditional Chinese opera forms like 京剧 (Peking opera) which feature singing and stylised movement. 话剧 was introduced to China in the early 20th century and has become a popular performing art in major cities.

Examples

1. 这个周末我想去看话剧。 I want to go see a play this weekend.
2. 她在大学的时候参加了话剧社。 She joined the drama club when she was at university.
3. 这部话剧讲的是一个爱情故事。 This play tells a love story.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, theatre, culture

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 你看过这部话剧吗？(Have you seen this play?)
• 北京有很多话剧演出。(There are many stage play performances in Beijing.)

Don't Say

• 我昨天看了一个话剧电影。(Don't combine 话剧 with 电影 — 话剧 is live theatre, not film. Say 我看了一部话剧 or 我看了一部电影.)

Origin & History

Compound of 话 (speech, spoken words) and 剧 (drama, play). Literally 'speech drama,' coined to distinguish Western-style spoken theatre from traditional Chinese opera.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal