Binge-watching & streaming in Chinese 追剧
zhuījù
Binge-watch in Chinese is 追剧 (zhuī jù).
Also searched for as: binge watch, streaming, watching series online, streaming services, what to watch.
One more episode... and suddenly it's 3am. 15 essential binge-watching & streaming 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.
The most common way to say binge-watching in Chinese is 追剧 (zhuī jù), literally 'chasing a show', though 刷剧 (shuā jù) is closer to bingeing a whole series at once. Streaming culture in China has its own habits, from watching at 倍速 (bèi sù, sped-up playback) to reading the 弹幕 (dàn mù) comments that fly across the screen. These words let you talk about your viewing habits like a native.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 追剧 | zhuī jù | to follow a series; to binge-watch |
| 刷剧 | shuā jù | to binge-watch |
| 一口气看完 | yī kǒu qì kàn wán | to watch in one go |
| 更新 | gēng xīn | to update; to release new episodes |
| 会员 | huì yuán | membership; VIP subscription |
| 视频网站 | shì pín wǎng zhàn | video streaming site |
| 倍速 | bèi sù | playback speed (e.g. 2x) |
| 弹幕 | dàn mù | bullet comments (scrolling on screen) |
| 跳过片头 | tiào guò piàn tóu | to skip the intro |
| 下一集 | xià yī jí | next episode |
| 季 | jì | season (of a show) |
| 集 | jí | episode |
| 剧荒 | jù huāng | having nothing to watch |
| 熬夜 | áo yè | to stay up late |
| 下饭剧 | xià fàn jù | show to watch while eating |
Usage tips
- 追剧 (zhuī jù) suggests following a show episode by episode as it comes out, while 刷剧 (shuā jù) means getting through lots of episodes in a row; 一口气看完 (yī kǒu qì kàn wán) stresses finishing in one sitting.
- Use 集 (jí) for an episode and 季 (jì) for a season: 第三季第五集 (dì sān jì dì wǔ jí) is season three, episode five. Many Chinese dramas have just one long season of 40 or more episodes.
- 剧荒 (jù huāng), literally a 'show famine', is the natural way to say you've run out of things to watch, and 下饭剧 (xià fàn jù) is a light show you put on while eating.
Common mistakes
- Confusing 集 (jí, episode) and 季 (jì, season), which differ only in tone → listen for the rising tone in 集 and the falling tone in 季.
- Saying 我看电视剧到很晚 for 'I stayed up watching' is clumsy → use 熬夜 (áo yè): 我熬夜追剧了 (wǒ áo yè zhuī jù le).
Mini dialogue
- A你眼睛怎么这么红？Nǐ yǎn jing zěn me zhè me hóng?Why are your eyes so red?
- B昨晚熬夜追剧，一口气看了十集。Zuó wǎn áo yè zhuī jù, yī kǒu qì kàn le shí jí.I stayed up bingeing last night, ten episodes in one go.
- A十集？你开倍速了吧？Shí jí? Nǐ kāi bèi sù le ba?Ten? You must have had it sped up.
- B对，两倍速，还跳过片头。Duì, liǎng bèi sù, hái tiào guò piàn tóu.Yes, double speed, and I skipped the intros.
- A好看吗？我最近剧荒了。Hǎo kàn ma? Wǒ zuì jìn jù huāng le.Is it good? I've got nothing to watch at the moment.
- B好看，就是要开会员才能看下一集。Hǎo kàn, jiù shì yào kāi huì yuán cái néng kàn xià yī jí.It's good, but you need a membership to watch the next episode.
Example sentences
- 我最近在追剧，每天都熬夜。I'm hooked on a series and staying up late every night.
- 周末我在家刷剧，哪儿也没去。I stayed home bingeing shows all weekend and didn't go anywhere.
- 我一口气看完了一整季。I watched the whole season in one go.
- 这部剧每周更新两集。This show releases two new episodes a week.
- 开了会员可以提前看。If you get a membership you can watch ahead.
- 现在大家都在视频网站上看剧。These days everyone watches shows on streaming sites.
- 我习惯开两倍速看剧。I usually watch shows at double speed.
- 有时候弹幕比剧情还好看。Sometimes the bullet comments are better than the plot.
- 每集我都跳过片头。I skip the intro every episode.
- 再等等，我看完下一集就睡。Hang on, I'll go to bed after the next episode.
- 第二季什么时候出？When does the second season come out?
- 这部剧一共四十集。This show has forty episodes in total.
- 最近剧荒了，有什么推荐吗？I've run out of things to watch, any recommendations?
- 为了追剧我又熬夜了。I stayed up late again to watch my show.
- 推荐一部下饭剧给我吧。Recommend me a show to watch while I eat.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Binge-watching & streaming speaking island has 8 everyday questions about binge-watching & streaming to prepare your own answers to.