Characters & plot in Chinese 角色和剧情
juésè hé jùqíng
Plot in Chinese is 剧情 (jù qíng).
Also searched for as: plot twist, main character, storyline, protagonist, plot armour.
Who's who, what happens, and that twist. 15 essential characters & plot 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 word for plot in Chinese is 剧情 (jù qíng), and the main character is the 主角 (zhǔ jué). Chinese fans have a rich vocabulary for talking about stories, from 反转 (fǎn zhuǎn, a twist) to 主角光环 (zhǔ jué guāng huán), literally the 'protagonist's halo', which is the Chinese way of saying plot armour. These words let you discuss characters, endings and theories with other viewers.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 剧情 | jù qíng | plot; storyline |
| 主角 | zhǔ jué | main character; protagonist |
| 配角 | pèi jué | supporting character |
| 男主 | nán zhǔ | male lead |
| 女主 | nǚ zhǔ | female lead |
| 主角光环 | zhǔ jué guāng huán | plot armour |
| 反转 | fǎn zhuǎn | twist; to turn around |
| 结局 | jié jú | ending |
| 开放式结局 | kāi fàng shì jié jú | open ending |
| 人设 | rén shè | character persona; how a character is set up |
| 伏笔 | fú bǐ | foreshadowing |
| 情节 | qíng jié | plot point; storyline |
| 领便当 | lǐng biàn dāng | to be killed off (of a character) |
| 黑化 | hēi huà | to turn dark; to go bad |
| 续集 | xù jí | sequel |
Usage tips
- Fans shorten 男主角 to 男主 (nán zhǔ) and 女主角 to 女主 (nǚ zhǔ); the second leads are 男二 (nán èr) and 女二 (nǚ èr).
- 人设 (rén shè) is a character's set-up or persona, and 人设崩了 (rén shè bēng le) means they have acted wildly out of character; the same phrase is used about celebrities whose public image falls apart.
- The dictionary reading of 角 in 主角 (zhǔ jué), 配角 (pèi jué) and 角色 (jué sè) is jué, although you will often hear jiǎo in casual speech.
Common mistakes
- Using 结束 (jié shù) for a story's ending → 结束 is the act of finishing; the ending of a story is 结局 (jié jú), as in 开放式结局 (kāi fàng shì jié jú, an open ending).
- Using 剧情 (jù qíng) for one particular event in the story → 剧情 is the overall plot; for a single plot point, say 情节 (qíng jié), e.g. 这个情节 (zhè gè qíng jié).
Mini dialogue
- A最后一集的反转你看懂了吗？Zuì hòu yī jí de fǎn zhuǎn nǐ kàn dǒng le ma?Did you get the twist in the last episode?
- B看懂了，第一集就埋了伏笔。Kàn dǒng le, dì yī jí jiù mái le fú bǐ.Yes, it was foreshadowed in the very first episode.
- A可是我不喜欢这个结局。Kě shì wǒ bù xǐ huan zhè gè jié jú.But I don't like the ending.
- B为什么？男主不是活下来了吗？Wèi shén me? Nán zhǔ bù shì huó xià lái le ma?Why? Didn't the male lead survive?
- A他有主角光环，可是女二领便当了！Tā yǒu zhǔ jué guāng huán, kě shì nǚ èr lǐng biàn dāng le!He had plot armour, but the second female lead got killed off!
Example sentences
- 这部剧的剧情很紧凑。This show's plot is really tight.
- 这部电影的主角是个小女孩。The main character in this film is a little girl.
- 有时候配角比主角更出彩。Sometimes the supporting characters shine more than the leads.
- 男主的演技不太行。The male lead's acting isn't great.
- 女主又漂亮又有个性。The female lead is pretty and has real personality.
- 他有主角光环，肯定死不了。He's got plot armour, he definitely won't die.
- 最后的反转太意外了！The twist at the end was so unexpected!
- 你喜欢这个结局吗？Did you like the ending?
- 我不喜欢开放式结局。I don't like open endings.
- 这个角色的人设崩了。This character has gone completely out of character.
- 第一集就埋了伏笔。It was foreshadowed in the very first episode.
- 这个情节有点不合理。This plot point doesn't quite make sense.
- 他第三集就领便当了。He got killed off in episode three.
- 女二后来黑化了。The second female lead later turns dark.
- 听说要拍续集了。I've heard they're making a sequel.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Characters & plot speaking island has 8 everyday questions about characters & plot to prepare your own answers to.