剧本

• Pinyin: jù běn
• Hanzi breakdown: 剧 = 豦 (tiger fighting pig) + 刂 (knife), depicting intense action; 本 = 木 (tree) + 一 (one), indicating the base of a tree

Meaning

Script; screenplay; play script. The written text of a play, film, or TV show.

Refers to the complete written work containing dialogue, stage directions, and scene descriptions for theatrical or cinematic productions. Also used figuratively to describe a pre-planned scenario or predictable sequence of events.

Examples

1. 这部电影的剧本是根据真实故事改编的。 The screenplay for this movie was adapted from a true story.
2. 演员们正在排练新剧本。 The actors are rehearsing the new script.
3. 他花了两年时间才写完这个剧本。 It took him two years to finish writing this screenplay.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, theater, film

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这个剧本写得太精彩了。(This script is brilliantly written.)
• 你看过剧本了吗？(Have you read the script yet?)

Don't Say

• 我按剧本说话。(In everyday speech, don't use 剧本 to mean 'planned speech' — it sounds unnatural)

Origin & History

剧 (jù, drama/play) + 本 (běn, book/script). Together they mean the 'book' or written version of a drama.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal