演戏

• Pinyin: yǎn xì
• Hanzi breakdown: 演 = 氵(water) + 寅 (extend/unfold — water flowing, hence a performance unfolding); 戏 = 戈 (weapon) + 虚 (empty/void — staged conflict)

Meaning

To act in a play; to put on a performance; figuratively, to pretend or put on an act. Covers both literal stage performance and the sense of feigning emotion or behaviour.

In formal or literary contexts refers to theatrical performance. In everyday speech often used figuratively to describe someone who is insincere, performing emotions for effect, or staging a scene to deceive others. Common in phrases like 别演戏了 (stop pretending).

Examples

1. 他从小就热爱演戏，十六岁便考入专业戏剧学院，开始接受系统的表演训练。 He loved acting from a young age, and at sixteen he was admitted to a professional drama academy to begin formal training.
2. 谈判桌上双方都在演戏，表面上你来我往、言辞激烈，背地里却早已就核心条款达成了默契。 At the negotiating table, both sides were putting on a show: on the surface they traded blows with heated words, but behind the scenes they had already reached an understanding on the key terms.
3. 她在记者面前演戏，假装对此事毫不知情，但随行的助理早已泄露了全部细节。 In front of reporters, she put on an act and pretended she knew nothing about it, but her assistant had already leaked all the details.

Usage Guide

Context: theatre, film, everyday speech, criticism

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他在镜头前演戏的功底非常扎实，能把每一个细微的情绪变化都处理得恰到好处。(His foundation for acting in front of the camera is very solid; he can handle every subtle shift in emotion with just the right touch.)
• 你就别再演戏了，大家都清楚你当时是故意那样做的，继续伪装下去只会让人更加反感。(Stop putting on an act — everyone knows you did it on purpose at the time; continuing to pretend will only make people more disgusted.)

Don't Say

• 他非常善于演戏别人 — 演戏 is intransitive and does not take a direct object; for deceiving a specific person say 他非常善于欺骗别人 or 他很会在别人面前演戏

Origin & History

演 (to perform) + 戏 (drama/play — 戈 weapon + 虚 empty space, suggesting staged conflict)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal