Dictionary › 演

演

yǎn

Old HSK 4 HSK 3.0 character level 3 Character

演 (yǎn) means "to develop; to evolve; to practice". It is an HSK 3.0 level 4 word, and was HSK 4 in the old six-level list.

What 演 means

1. to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show)
2. bound formto develop; to play out; to carry out (a task)

Example sentences

• 他们是演员。
  They are actors.
• 好一场演说！
  What a speech!
• 她表演得真好。
  Tā biǎoyǎn de zhēn hǎo.
  Her performance is really good.
• 历史自会重演。
  Lìshǐ zì huì chóngyǎn.
  History repeats itself.
• 你演奏乐器吗？
  Do you play a musical instrument?
• 他在演奏音乐。
  He is playing music.

Words starting with 演

• 演出yǎn chūto act (in a play); to perform; to put on (a performance)
• 演员yǎn yuánactor; actress; performer
• 演讲yǎn jiǎngto give a lecture; to make a speech
• 演奏yǎn zòuto perform on a musical instrument
• 演绎yǎn yì(of a story etc) to unfold; to play out; to develop (a technique etc); to enact
• 演变yǎn biànto develop; to evolve
• 演习yǎn xí(military, firefighting etc) (verb and noun) drill; exercise; maneuver
• 演唱yǎn chàngto sing (for an audience); vocal performance
• 演唱会yǎn chàng huìvocal recital or concert
• 演说yǎn shuōspeech; to deliver a speech
• 演戏yǎn xìto put on a play; to perform; fig. to pretend
• 演示yǎn shìto demonstrate; to show; presentation
• 演技yǎn jìacting; performing skills
• 演艺yǎn yìperforming arts
• 演化yǎn huàto evolve; evolution
• 演练yǎn liànto drill; to practice
• 演义yǎn yìto dramatize historical events; novel or play on historical theme
• 演艺圈yǎn yì quānshow business
• 演播室yǎn bō shìbroadcasting studio
• 演进yǎn jìnevolution; gradual forward progress
• 演艺界yǎn yì jièthe entertainment world; show business
• 演算yǎn suànto perform calculations
• 演奏者yǎn zòu zhěperformer; musician
• 演武yǎn wǔto practice martial arts

Words containing 演

• 表演biǎo yǎnplay; show; performance
• 导演dǎo yǎnto direct; director (film etc)
• 扮演bàn yǎnto play the role of; to act
• 主演zhǔ yǎnto play the leading role; to star; lead actor
• 上演shàng yǎnto screen (a movie); to stage (a play); a screening
• 饰演shì yǎnto act; to play a part
• 讲演jiǎng yǎnto lecture; to speak publicly
• 出演chū yǎnto perform (in a play, film, concert etc); to play the part of; to portray
• 开演kāi yǎn(of a play, movie etc) to begin
• 重演chóng yǎnto recur (of events, esp. adverse ones); to repeat (a performance)
• 巡演xún yǎn(theater etc) to tour; to be on tour; to give itinerant performances (abbr. for 巡回演出
• 三国演义Sān guó Yǎn yìRomance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong 罗贯中
• 愈演愈烈yù yǎn yù lièever more critical; problems get more and more intense
• 排演pái yǎnto rehearse (a performance)
• 公演gōng yǎnto perform in public; to give a performance
• 首演shǒu yǎnmaiden stage role; first performance; first public showing
• 汇演huì yǎnjoint performance
• 巡回演出xún huí yǎn chū(theater etc) to tour; to be on tour; to give itinerant performances
• 义演yì yǎnbenefit performance; charity show
• 合演hé yǎnto act together; to put on a joint performance
• 参演cān yǎnto take part in a performance; to appear in (a movie etc)
• 加演jiā yǎnto put on extra shows; to extend the run (of a show)…
• 反演fǎn yǎninversion (geometry)
• 商演shāng yǎncommercial performance

Characters that look like 演

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 滚gǔnto boil; to roll; to take a hike
• 滨bīn(bound form) water's edge; bank; shore; (bound form) to border on (a lake, river etc)
• 潢huángdye paper; lake; pond
• 熠yìto glow; to flash
• 璜huángsemicircular jade ornament
• 潦liáoused in 潦草; used in 潦倒

Sounds the same

Read yǎn, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 眼eye; (often used with 一; small hole
• 衍to spread out; to develop; to overflow
• 掩to cover up; to conceal; to close (a door, book etc)…
• 琰gem; glitter of gems
• 广"house on a cliff" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 53), occurring in 店, 序…
• 鼹mole
• 偃to lie supine; to stop; to fall down
• 奄suddenly; abruptly; hastily
• 魇to have a nightmare
• 俨majestic; dignified
• 兖used in 兖州
• 弇to cover; trap

Where 演 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of HSK 3 Characters · Set 10 (HSK 3), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 4 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read yǎn correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.