Superheroes & villains in Chinese 超级英雄
chāojí yīngxióng
Superhero in Chinese is 超级英雄 (chāo jí yīng xióng).
Also searched for as: superhero movies, superpowers, comic book heroes, villains, supervillain.
Capes, superpowers and the villain who wants it all. 15 essential superheroes & villains 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 superhero in Chinese is 超级英雄 (chāo jí yīng xióng), literally "super hero", and their enemies are 反派 (fǎn pài), the villains. Talking about these films means words like 超能力 (chāo néng lì), superpower, and 秘密身份 (mì mì shēn fèn), secret identity. Fans also love the 彩蛋 (cǎi dàn), the post-credits scene, so nobody leaves the cinema until the very end.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 超级英雄 | chāo jí yīng xióng | superhero |
| 反派 | fǎn pài | villain; bad guy |
| 超能力 | chāo néng lì | superpower |
| 拯救世界 | zhěng jiù shì jiè | to save the world |
| 战衣 | zhàn yī | suit (superhero costume) |
| 披风 | pī fēng | cape |
| 面具 | miàn jù | mask |
| 秘密身份 | mì mì shēn fèn | secret identity |
| 变身 | biàn shēn | to transform |
| 会飞 | huì fēi | to be able to fly |
| 漫画 | màn huà | comic |
| 宇宙 | yǔ zhòu | universe (shared film universe) |
| 彩蛋 | cǎi dàn | post-credits scene; Easter egg |
| 燃 | rán | thrilling; gets you pumped (slang) |
| 毁灭 | huǐ miè | to destroy |
Usage tips
- 彩蛋 (cǎi dàn) literally means "painted egg", a translation of "Easter egg". It covers both hidden references in a film and the bonus scenes during or after the credits.
- 燃 (rán), literally "to burn", is slang for scenes that get your blood pumping: 太燃了 (tài rán le), "so epic". It's used for sports and music too.
- 超 (chāo) on its own is casual slang for "super" or "really": 超好看 (chāo hǎo kàn), "really good", 超帅 (chāo shuài), "so cool". It's the same 超 as in 超级英雄.
Common mistakes
- Learners use 坏人 (huài rén), "bad person", for every villain. That's fine with children, but when discussing films 反派 (fǎn pài) is the natural word, and it can also mean an actor known for playing villains.
- 面具 (miàn jù) is a costume or disguise mask, like a hero's. A medical face mask is 口罩 (kǒu zhào), so don't mix them up at the pharmacy.
Mini dialogue
- A你看完那部超级英雄电影了吗？Nǐ kàn wán nà bù chāo jí yīng xióng diàn yǐng le ma?Have you seen that superhero film yet?
- B看了！最后那场大战太燃了！Kàn le! Zuì hòu nà chǎng dà zhàn tài rán le!Yes! That final battle was so epic!
- A我觉得反派比主角还有魅力。Wǒ jué de fǎn pài bǐ zhǔ jué hái yǒu mèi lì.I thought the villain was more charismatic than the hero.
- B同意。对了，你看片尾彩蛋了吗？Tóng yì. Duì le, nǐ kàn piàn wěi cǎi dàn le ma?Agreed. Oh, did you see the post-credits scene?
- A没有，我早就走了。Méi yǒu, wǒ zǎo jiù zǒu le.No, I'd already left.
Example sentences
- 你最喜欢哪个超级英雄？Which superhero is your favourite?
- 这部电影的反派比主角还有魅力。The villain in this film is more charismatic than the hero.
- 如果你有超能力，你想要什么？If you had a superpower, what would you want?
- 英雄的任务就是拯救世界。A hero's job is to save the world.
- 他一穿上战衣就像变了个人。As soon as he puts on the suit he's a different person.
- 为什么很多超级英雄都穿披风？Why do so many superheroes wear capes?
- 他戴着面具，没人知道他是谁。He wears a mask so no one knows who he is.
- 他的秘密身份被发现了。His secret identity has been discovered.
- 他一遇到危险就会变身。He transforms whenever he's in danger.
- 要是我会飞就好了。If only I could fly.
- 这个角色最早出自漫画。This character originally comes from comics.
- 这个电影宇宙越来越复杂了。This cinematic universe is getting more and more complicated.
- 别走，片尾还有彩蛋！Don't go, there's a post-credits scene!
- 最后那场大战太燃了！That final battle was so epic!
- 反派想毁灭整个城市。The villain wants to destroy the whole city.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Superheroes & villains speaking island has 8 everyday questions about superheroes & villains to prepare your own answers to.