演习

• Pinyin: yǎn xí
• Hanzi breakdown: 演 = 氵(water) + 寅 (extend/develop — unfolding a rehearsed operation); 习 = 羽 (feathers/wings) + 白 (white/self — a bird repeatedly flapping wings to learn flight, hence repeated practice)

Meaning

A military exercise; a large-scale drill or simulated operation. A planned, realistic practice exercise — particularly in military or civil defence contexts — designed to test readiness and coordination.

More specifically military or large-scale than 演练 (drill/rehearsal). Common collocations: 军事演习 (military exercise), 联合演习 (joint military exercise), 实弹演习 (live-fire exercise), 登陆演习 (landing exercise). The term carries strategic and geopolitical significance in news and defence discourse.

Examples

1. 两国军队在边境地区展开了为期两周的大规模联合演习，演练了山地作战、直升机机降和后勤补给等多个专项科目。 The two countries’ militaries conducted a large-scale joint exercise in the border area that lasted two weeks, drilling mountain combat, helicopter air assaults, and logistics resupply, among other modules.
2. 海军陆战队在这次两栖登陆演习中动用了数十艘舰艇和超过一万名参演官兵，是近年来规模最大的一次综合性实战化演练。 In this amphibious landing exercise, the marine corps deployed dozens of ships and more than 10,000 troops, making it the largest comprehensive, combat-realistic drill in recent years.
3. 举行军事演习是各国常规的国防训练手段，但演习的地点、规模和时机往往会对周边国家的安全感知和地区局势产生显著影响。 Holding military exercises is a routine form of defense training for countries, but the location, scale, and timing often significantly affect neighboring countries’ security perceptions and the regional situation.

Usage Guide

Context: military, defence, geopolitics, civil defence

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 本次实弹演习是有史以来规模最大的一次综合性海空联合作战训练，全面检验了各兵种在复杂电磁环境下的协同指挥和精确打击能力。(This live-fire exercise was the largest comprehensive joint sea-air combat training operation ever held, providing a full test of the coordinated command and precision strike capabilities of each service branch in a complex electromagnetic environment.)
• 分析人士指出，此次演习的战略信号意义远超其军事训练价值本身，其地点和时间节点的选择明显具有向有关各方传递政治意图的考量。(Analysts noted that the strategic signalling significance of this exercise far exceeds its military training value in itself; the choice of location and timing is clearly designed to convey political intent to the relevant parties.)

Don't Say

• 他们在课堂里做演习 — 演习 specifically denotes large-scale military or civil defence drills; for classroom practice exercises say 他们在课堂里做练习 or 他们进行了模拟训练; using 演习 for academic settings sounds incongruous and overly militaristic

Origin & History

演 (to perform/develop — 氵water + 寅 extend) + 习 (to practise/drill — 羽 feathers + 白 white/self — a bird repeatedly flapping wings to learn to fly, hence repeated practice)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal