Film genres in Chinese 电影类型
diànyǐng lèixíng
Film genre in Chinese is 电影类型 (diàn yǐng lèi xíng).
Also searched for as: movie genres, types of films, kinds of movies, film categories.
From rom-coms to sci-fi: what kind of film is it? 15 essential film genres 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.
Talking about film genres in Chinese is easy once you spot the pattern: most end in 片 (piàn), "film". An action film is 动作片 (dòng zuò piàn), a comedy is 喜剧片 (xǐ jù piàn), a horror film is 恐怖片 (kǒng bù piàn) and a sci-fi film is 科幻片 (kē huàn piàn). There's also 武侠片 (wǔ xiá piàn), the martial arts genre of wandering swordsmen that Chinese cinema is especially famous for.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 类型 | lèi xíng | genre; type |
| 动作片 | dòng zuò piàn | action film |
| 喜剧片 | xǐ jù piàn | comedy (film) |
| 爱情片 | ài qíng piàn | romance film |
| 恐怖片 | kǒng bù piàn | horror film |
| 科幻片 | kē huàn piàn | sci-fi film |
| 动画片 | dòng huà piàn | animated film; cartoon |
| 纪录片 | jì lù piàn | documentary |
| 悬疑片 | xuán yí piàn | mystery film; suspense film |
| 战争片 | zhàn zhēng piàn | war film |
| 武侠片 | wǔ xiá piàn | martial arts film; wuxia film |
| 文艺片 | wén yì piàn | art-house film |
| 剧情片 | jù qíng piàn | drama (film) |
| 商业片 | shāng yè piàn | commercial film; mainstream film |
| 大片 | dà piàn | blockbuster |
Usage tips
- To ask about someone's taste, say 你喜欢看什么类型的电影 (nǐ xǐ huan kàn shén me lèi xíng de diàn yǐng)? In replies people often drop 片: 我喜欢动作的 (wǒ xǐ huan dòng zuò de) is perfectly natural.
- 大片 (dà piàn) is a big-budget blockbuster, usually heavy on effects. 商业片 (shāng yè piàn) and 文艺片 (wén yì piàn) contrast mainstream crowd-pleasers with slower, more artistic films.
- The measure word for films is 部 (bù): 一部电影 (yī bù diàn yǐng), 这部科幻片 (zhè bù kē huàn piàn). In casual speech you'll also hear 个 (ge).
Common mistakes
- Learners assume 动画片 (dòng huà piàn) means children's cartoons only, but it covers all animation. Japanese-style anime and comics are often called 动漫 (dòng màn).
- Learners translate "drama" as 戏剧 (xì jù), which means theatre or stage drama. A dramatic, story-driven film is a 剧情片 (jù qíng piàn).
Mini dialogue
- A周末一起去看电影吧？Zhōu mò yī qǐ qù kàn diàn yǐng ba?Shall we go and see a film at the weekend?
- B好啊。你想看什么类型的？Hǎo a. Nǐ xiǎng kàn shén me lèi xíng de?Sure. What kind do you fancy?
- A我想看那部新的科幻片，听说特效很棒。Wǒ xiǎng kàn nà bù xīn de kē huàn piàn, tīng shuō tè xiào hěn bàng.I'd like to see that new sci-fi film, I hear the effects are great.
- B好，只要不是恐怖片就行。Hǎo, zhǐ yào bù shì kǒng bù piàn jiù xíng.OK, as long as it's not a horror film.
- A放心，我也不敢看恐怖片。Fàng xīn, wǒ yě bù gǎn kàn kǒng bù piàn.Don't worry, I don't dare watch horror films either.
Example sentences
- 你喜欢什么类型的电影？What kind of films do you like?
- 周末我们去看动作片吧。Let's go and see an action film at the weekend.
- 我心情不好的时候就看喜剧片。When I'm feeling down, I watch a comedy.
- 她最爱看爱情片。She loves romance films most of all.
- 我一个人不敢看恐怖片。I don't dare watch horror films on my own.
- 这部科幻片的特效很棒。The effects in this sci-fi film are great.
- 这部动画片大人也爱看。Adults love this animated film too.
- 我最近在看一部关于海洋的纪录片。I'm watching a documentary about the ocean at the moment.
- 悬疑片要认真看才看得懂。You have to pay attention to follow a mystery film.
- 我爸特别喜欢看战争片。My dad really likes war films.
- 小时候我天天看武侠片。When I was little I watched martial arts films every day.
- 文艺片节奏太慢了，我看不下去。Art-house films are too slow, I can't get through them.
- 这是一部很感人的剧情片。It's a really moving drama.
- 商业片的票房一般比较高。Mainstream films usually make more at the box office.
- 暑期档有好几部大片。There are several blockbusters out this summer.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Film genres speaking island has 8 everyday questions about film genres to prepare your own answers to.