对白

• Pinyin: duì bái
• Hanzi breakdown: 对 = 又 (hand) + 寸 (measure) — originally to respond/face; 白 = 日 (sun) variant — brightness, hence clarity of speech

Meaning

Dialogue; the spoken lines exchanged between characters in a play, film, or novel. Refers specifically to the scripted conversational exchanges in dramatic works.

A technical term in drama, screenwriting, and literary criticism. 对白 emphasises the back-and-forth exchange between two or more characters, in contrast to 独白 (monologue). Common expressions: 剧本对白 (script dialogue), 对白自然流畅 (natural and fluent dialogue), 经典对白 (classic lines). Also used colloquially for any memorable or witty exchange.

Examples

1. 这部电影的对白简洁有力，每一句话都推动着剧情向前发展。 The dialogue in this film is concise and powerful, and every line pushes the plot forward.
2. 编剧反复修改剧本，力求让角色的对白更加符合人物性格。 The screenwriter revised the script again and again to make the characters’ dialogue better fit their personalities.
3. 那场争吵戏的对白写得极为真实，令观众感同身受。 The dialogue in that argument scene was written so realistically that the audience could truly relate.

Usage Guide

Context: drama, film, literature, screenwriting

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 导演认为两位主角之间的对白缺乏张力，要求编剧重新打磨，增强情感冲突。(The director felt the dialogue between the two leads lacked tension and asked the screenwriter to rework it to heighten the emotional conflict.)
• 这段经典对白被无数影迷反复引用，成为该电影最具代表性的文化符号。(This classic exchange of dialogue has been quoted countless times by fans and has become the film's most representative cultural symbol.)

Don't Say

• 我们之间的对白很好 — 对白 is a written/dramatic register; for everyday conversation say 我们聊得很愉快 or 我们的交流很顺畅

Origin & History

对 (facing/responding) + 白 (speech/spoken words) — spoken words exchanged face to face

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal