放映

• Pinyin: fàng yìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 放 = 攴 + 方 (to direct and discharge — to emit); 映 = 日 + 央 (the sun at the centre — to reflect or illuminate)

Meaning

To screen; to project; to show a film. The act of projecting a film or video for an audience using a projector or screening system.

Used in cinema, cultural events, and education contexts. Can refer to public screenings, private previews, or scheduled broadcasts. Common collocations: 放映影片、放映厅、放映员、首映放映、巡回放映. The related term 播放 is used for audio/video playback on screens without projection.

Examples

1. 影院预告显示，这部备受期待的历史巨制将于下周五在全国各大影院同步放映，届时将以IMAX格式呈现其宏大的战争场面。 The theater previews show that this highly anticipated historical epic will open nationwide next Friday, presenting its grand war scenes in IMAX.
2. 当地文化馆每周末在社区广场免费放映经典老片，吸引了大批中老年居民，成为丰富基层群众文化生活的重要活动。 The local cultural center screens classic old films for free every weekend in the community square, drawing large numbers of middle-aged and elderly residents and becoming an important activity that enriches grassroots cultural life.
3. 导演在首映礼结束后接受采访时表示，能够在大银幕上放映这部耗时七年完成的纪录片，是他在创作层面得到的最大肯定。 After the premiere, the director said in an interview that being able to screen this documentary—seven years in the making—on the big screen was the greatest affirmation of his creative work.

Usage Guide

Context: cinema, culture, media, education

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 此次电影节将集中放映来自二十二个国家的参赛影片，同时安排了多场与导演面对面的映后交流活动，供影迷深入了解创作背景。(This film festival will screen competing films from twenty-two countries in a concentrated programme, while also arranging several post-screening Q&A sessions with directors for film lovers to gain a deeper understanding of the creative background.)
• 为纪念建党百年，各地文化中心相继举办了红色经典影片放映活动，以影像的形式重温那段波澜壮阔的革命历史。(To commemorate the centenary of the founding of the Party, cultural centres across the country successively held screenings of classic revolutionary films, revisiting that magnificent revolutionary history through the medium of film.)

Don't Say

• 放映 and 播放 are not interchangeable — 放映 specifically refers to film projection onto a screen in a cinema or public screening context; 播放 is used for audio/video playback on TVs, computers, or speakers

Origin & History

放 (to project/emit) + 映 (to reflect/project light) — to emit light to project an image onto a screen

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal