Action films & thrillers in Chinese 动作惊悚片
dòngzuò jīngsǒng piàn
Action film in Chinese is 动作片 (dòng zuò piàn).
Also searched for as: action movies, thriller films, spy films, heist movies, thrillers.
Car chases, explosions and edge-of-your-seat suspense. 15 essential action films & thrillers words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Action films in Chinese are 动作片 (dòng zuò piàn), and the genre comes with plenty of vivid words. A fight scene is an 打戏 (dǎ xì), a car chase is 追车 (zhuī chē), and a shoot-out is 枪战 (qiāng zhàn). Thrillers add 悬念 (xuán niàn), suspense, and characters like the 卧底 (wò dǐ), the undercover agent. To praise the whole experience, just say it was 刺激 (cì jī), thrilling.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 动作片 | dòng zuò piàn | action film |
| 紧张 | jǐn zhāng | tense; nervous |
| 打戏 | dǎ xì | fight scene |
| 替身演员 | tì shēn yǎn yuán | stunt double |
| 追车 | zhuī chē | car chase |
| 爆炸 | bào zhà | explosion; to explode |
| 枪战 | qiāng zhàn | shoot-out; gunfight |
| 特工 | tè gōng | secret agent |
| 卧底 | wò dǐ | undercover agent; to go undercover |
| 抢劫 | qiǎng jié | robbery; heist; to rob |
| 绑架 | bǎng jià | to kidnap |
| 追杀 | zhuī shā | to hunt down (to kill) |
| 惊险 | jīng xiǎn | thrilling; hair-raising |
| 悬念 | xuán niàn | suspense |
| 刺激 | cì jī | exciting; thrilling |
Usage tips
- 戏 (xì) means a scene or role in filming, so 打戏 (dǎ xì) is a fight scene and 哭戏 (kū xì) a crying scene. Actors are often praised for doing their own 打戏 without a 替身 (tì shēn).
- 刺激 (cì jī) and 惊险 (jīng xiǎn) both translate as thrilling, but 惊险 stresses danger and narrow escapes, while 刺激 is more about excitement and adrenaline.
- 卧底 (wò dǐ), literally "lying at the bottom", is the standard word for an undercover agent or mole. Undercover-cop stories are a much-loved staple of Hong Kong cinema.
Common mistakes
- Learners use 紧张 (jǐn zhāng) only for nervous people, but it also describes a tense film or situation: 最后十分钟太紧张了 (zuì hòu shí fēn zhōng tài jǐn zhāng le), "the last ten minutes were so tense".
- Learners assume 刺激 (cì jī) is always positive, but as a verb it means to provoke or upset. 别刺激他 (bié cì jī tā) means "don't wind him up".
Mini dialogue
- A昨天那部动作片怎么样？Zuó tiān nà bù dòng zuò piàn zěn me yàng?How was that action film yesterday?
- B太刺激了！追车那场戏特别精彩。Tài cì jī le! Zhuī chē nà chǎng xì tè bié jīng cǎi.So exciting! The car chase was brilliant.
- A听说主角的打戏都是自己拍的，没用替身演员。Tīng shuō zhǔ jué de dǎ xì dōu shì zì jǐ pāi de, méi yòng tì shēn yǎn yuán.I heard the lead did all his own fight scenes, without a stunt double.
- B对，而且结局有个大反转，原来他是卧底！Duì, ér qiě jié jú yǒu ge dà fǎn zhuǎn, yuán lái tā shì wò dǐ!Yes, and there's a big twist at the end: he was undercover all along!
- A别说了，我还没看呢！Bié shuō le, wǒ hái méi kàn ne!Stop, I haven't seen it yet!
Example sentences
- 他每周都要看一部动作片。He watches an action film every week.
- 最后十分钟太紧张了！The last ten minutes were so tense!
- 这部片子的打戏非常精彩。The fight scenes in this film are brilliant.
- 这个镜头是替身演员拍的。This shot was done by a stunt double.
- 追车那场戏拍得太好了。The car chase was really well shot.
- 主角从来不回头看爆炸。The hero never looks back at the explosion.
- 片尾的枪战打了整整十分钟。The shoot-out at the end lasted a full ten minutes.
- 他演的是一个退休的特工。He plays a retired secret agent.
- 原来他是警方的卧底！So he was an undercover cop all along!
- 他们计划抢劫一家银行。They plan to rob a bank.
- 他的家人被绑架了，他得去救人。His family has been kidnapped and he has to rescue them.
- 他被一群杀手追杀。He's being hunted by a gang of hitmen.
- 这部片子从头到尾都很惊险。This film is thrilling from start to finish.
- 这个导演很会制造悬念。This director is great at building suspense.
- 这部片子太刺激了！This film is so exciting!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Action films & thrillers speaking island has 8 everyday questions about action films & thrillers to prepare your own answers to.