Chinese Film TV & Drama Phrases — Mandarin for Movies, Streaming, TV Shows & Entertainment Talk

China is the world's largest film market, and knowing how to talk about movies is a great conversation starter. Essential genre vocabulary: 电影 (diàn yǐng) — movie / film, 电影院 (diàn yǐng yuàn) — cinema / movie theater, 看电影 (kàn diàn yǐng) — to watch a movie. Genres (类型 lèi xíng): 动作片 (dòng zuò piàn) — action film, 喜剧片 (xǐ jù piàn) — comedy, 爱情片 (ài qíng piàn) — romance / love story, 科幻片 (kē huàn piàn) — sci-fi film, 恐怖片 (kǒng bù piàn) — horror film, 动画片 (dòng huà piàn) — animation / animated film, 纪录片 (jì lù piàn) — documentary, 战争片 (zhàn zhēng piàn) — war film, 悬疑片 (xuán yí piàn) — thriller / mystery, 犯罪片 (fàn zuì piàn) — crime film, 文艺片 (wén yì piàn) — arthouse / literary film, 武侠片 (wǔ xiá piàn) — martial arts / wuxia film, 贺岁片 (hè suì piàn) — Chinese New Year blockbuster (light-hearted, family comedy released during春节).

Key phrases for talking about films: 你最近看了什么电影 (nǐ zuì jìn kàn le shén me diàn yǐng) — What movies have you watched recently? 你喜欢什么类型的电影 (nǐ xǐ huān shén me lèi xíng de diàn yǐng) — What kind of movies do you like? 我喜欢看喜剧片 (wǒ xǐ huān kàn xǐ jù piàn) — I like watching comedies. 这部电影是谁导演的 (zhè bù diàn yǐng shì shéi dǎo yǎn de) — Who directed this film? 男主角是谁 (nán zhǔ jué shì shéi) — Who is the lead actor? 女主角是谁 (nǚ zhǔ jué shì shéi) — Who is the lead actress? 这部电影评分很高 (zhè bù diàn yǐng píng fēn hěn gāo) — This film has a high rating. For famous Chinese directors: 张艺谋 (Zhāng Yìmóu) — known for Hero, Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers; 陈凯歌 (Chén Kǎigē) — Farewell My Concubine; 贾樟柯 (Jiǎ Zhāngkē) — arthouse realism; 姜文 (Jiāng Wén) — Let the Bullets Fly; 王家卫 (Wáng Jiāwèi / Wong Kar-wai) — In the Mood for Love. Phrase: 我很喜欢张艺谋的电影 (wǒ hěn xǐ huān zhāng yì móu de diàn yǐng) — I really like Zhang Yimou's films.

Going to a Chinese cinema is a smooth experience with the right vocabulary. Essential words: 电影院 (diàn yǐng yuàn) — cinema, 场次 (chǎng cì) — screening / showtime, 排片 (pái piàn) — screening schedule, 选座 (xuǎn zuò) — to choose a seat, 座位 (zuò wèi) — seat (like on an airplane — you pick your seat on a screen when buying), 中间 (zhōng jiān) — middle (best seats are usually in the middle — 中间的位置最好 zhōng jiān de wèi zhì zuì hǎo), 前排 (qián pái) — front row, 后排 (hòu pái) — back row, 情侣座 (qíng lǚ zuò) — couple seats (double seats in the back). Movie terms: 预告片 (yù gào piàn) — trailer, 片长 (piàn cháng) — runtime, 中文配音 (zhōng wén pèi yīn) — Chinese dubbed, 原声 (yuán shēng) — original soundtrack / original language, 字幕 (zì mù) — subtitles, 中文字幕 (zhōng wén zì mù) — Chinese subtitles, 英文字幕 (yīng wén zì mù) — English subtitles, 双语字幕 (shuāng yǔ zì mù) — bilingual subtitles, 3D眼镜 (3D yǎn jìng) — 3D glasses, IMAX厅 (IMAX tīng) — IMAX auditorium.

Food and facilities: 爆米花 (bào mǐ huā) — popcorn, 可乐 (kě lè) — cola, 零食 (líng shí) — snacks, 套餐 (tào cān) — combo meal, 洗手间 (xǐ shǒu jiān) — restroom. Ticketing platforms: 猫眼 (māo yǎn) — Maoyan (the biggest movie ticketing app), 淘票票 (táo piào piào) — Taopiaopiao (Alibaba's app). Key phrases: 我想买两张票 (wǒ xiǎng mǎi liǎng zhāng piào) — I'd like to buy two tickets. 这个电影是原声还是配音的 (zhè ge diàn yǐng shì yuán shēng hái shì pèi yīn de) — Is this film in the original language or dubbed? 有英文字幕吗 (yǒu yīng wén zì mù ma) — Are there English subtitles? 电影几点开始 (diàn yǐng jǐ diǎn kāi shǐ) — What time does the movie start? 我想坐中间 (wǒ xiǎng zuò zhōng jiān) — I want to sit in the middle. 这个位置太靠前了 (zhè ge wèi zhì tài kào qián le) — This seat is too close to the front. 进口大片 (jìn kǒu dà piàn) — imported blockbuster (Hollywood films released in China — quota-limited, usually around 34 per year). Foreign films in China are almost always shown in the original language with Chinese subtitles — the phrase 原声加中文字幕 (yuán shēng jiā zhōng wén zì mù) means "original voice with Chinese subtitles."

China has its own massive streaming ecosystem completely separate from Netflix/YouTube. Major platforms: 腾讯视频 (Téngxùn Shìpín) — Tencent Video (largest, strong in dramas and variety shows), 爱奇艺 (Àiqíyì) — iQiyi (often called "China's Netflix" — strong in original content and Korean dramas), 优酷 (Yōukù) — Youku (Alibaba's platform, strong in variety shows and classic dramas), 芒果TV (Mángguǒ TV) — Mango TV (Hunan TV's platform — variety shows and youth dramas), 哔哩哔哩 / B站 (Bìlībìlī / B zhàn) — Bilibili (ACG/anime culture, danmu bullet comments, documentaries — beloved by younger audiences). Essential streaming vocabulary: 会员 (huì yuán) — VIP membership (paid subscription for ad-free, early access, and exclusive content), 超前点播 (chāo qián diǎn bō) — advance pay-per-episode (pay extra to watch episodes ahead of schedule — controversial but common), 缓存 (huǎn cún) — to download / cache for offline viewing, 弹幕 (dàn mù) — bullet comments (scrolling user comments overlaid on the video — a uniquely Chinese viewing experience, essential on Bilibili), 倍速 (bèi sù) — playback speed (1.5x/2x — very common for drama binge-watching), 选集 (xuǎn jí) — select episode, 追剧 (zhuī jù) — to follow a drama / binge-watch.

Key phrases: 你在哪个平台看 (nǐ zài nǎ ge píng tái kàn) — What platform do you watch on? 你有会员吗 (nǐ yǒu huì yuán ma) — Do you have a VIP membership? 充一个月会员多少钱 (chōng yī ge yuè huì yuán duō shǎo qián) — How much is one month of membership? 这个剧在哪个平台有 (zhè ge jù zài nǎ ge píng tái yǒu) — Which platform has this show? 我缓存了几集在手机上看 (wǒ huǎn cún le jǐ jí zài shǒu jī shàng kàn) — I downloaded a few episodes to watch on my phone. 弹幕太搞笑了 (dàn mù tài gǎo xiào le) — The bullet comments are hilarious. 开二倍速看 (kāi èr bèi sù kàn) — Watch at 2x speed. Pricing: VIP memberships are typically 15–25 RMB per month (about $2–3 USD), much cheaper than Western streaming. Many Chinese learners watch with both Chinese and English subtitles — search for 双语字幕 (shuāng yǔ zì mù) content. Bilibili is especially good for language learners because of its educational content and on-screen pinyin annotations by users.

Chinese TV dramas (电视剧 diàn shì jù / 连续剧 lián xù jù) are a massive part of daily conversation — knowing how to discuss them is essential social glue. Drama categories: 古装剧 (gǔ zhuāng jù) — costume / historical drama, 仙侠剧 (xiān xiá jù) — fantasy martial arts (gods, immortals, flying swords — a hugely popular genre), 武侠剧 (wǔ xiá jù) — martial arts drama, 宫廷剧 (gōng tíng jù) — palace intrigue / harem drama (e.g. 甄嬛传 Zhēn Huán Zhuàn "Empresses in the Palace" — the most influential Chinese drama of the last decade, also great for learning formal/palace speech), 现代剧 (xiàn dài jù) — modern drama, 都市剧 (dū shì jù) — urban/city drama, 职场剧 (zhí chǎng jù) — workplace drama, 悬疑剧 (xuán yí jù) — suspense/thriller series, 谍战剧 (dié zhàn jù) — spy drama, 甜宠剧 (tián chǒng jù) — sweet romance / "fluffy" drama (light, happy, romantic — minimal conflict), 校园剧 (xiào yuán jù) — school/coming-of-age drama, 家庭剧 (jiā tíng jù) — family drama.

Key drama vocabulary: 剧情 (jù qíng) — plot / storyline, 结局 (jié jú) — ending, 演技 (yǎn jì) — acting skill, 台词 (tái cí) — dialogue / lines, 人设 (rén shè) — character design / personality, CP (couple / ship — from 配对 pèi duì, pairing two characters romantically), 烂尾 (làn wěi) — bad ending / rushed ending (literally "rotten tail", a common complaint — 这部剧烂尾了 zhè bù jù làn wěi le), 狗血 (gǒu xiě) — melodramatic / over-the-top (literally "dog blood" — e.g., excessive plot twists, amnesia, secret twins), 上头 (shàng tóu) — addictive / obsessed (literally "go to the head" — 这部剧太上头了 zhè bù jù tài shàng tóu le "I'm totally addicted to this show"), 剧情崩了 (jù qíng bēng le) — the plot fell apart / jumped the shark. Key phrases: 你最近在追什么剧 (nǐ zuì jìn zài zhuī shén me jù) — What drama are you following recently? 这部剧一共有几集 (zhè bù jù yī gòng yǒu jǐ jí) — How many episodes does this drama have? 更新的太慢了 (gēng xīn de tài màn le) — The updates are too slow. 别给我剧透 (bié gěi wǒ jù tòu) — Don't spoil it for me. 这部的演技真的很棒 (zhè bù de yǎn jì zhēn de hěn bàng) — The acting in this one is really great. 你看过甄嬛传吗 (nǐ kàn guò zhēn huán zhuàn ma) — Have you watched Empresses in the Palace? (This is the single most useful drama reference — nearly every Chinese person has watched it and it is considered a cultural touchstone.)

Essential review vocabulary: 评价 (píng jià) — review / evaluation, 豆瓣 (Dòubàn) — Douban (China's IMDb/Goodreads — the go-to platform for film and book ratings, 1–10 scale), 评分 (píng fēn) — rating / score, 好评 (hǎo píng) — positive review, 差评 (chà píng) — negative review, 口碑 (kǒu bēi) — word-of-mouth / public reputation (口碑很好 kǒu bēi hěn hǎo — great word of mouth), 推荐 (tuī jiàn) — to recommend, 不推荐 (bù tuī jiàn) — not recommended, 值得看 (zhí de kàn) — worth watching, 浪费时间 (làng fèi shí jiān) — waste of time, 神作 (shén zuò) — a masterpiece (literally "divine work"), 烂片 (làn piàn) — terrible movie / garbage film, 经典 (jīng diǎn) — a classic. Key phrases: 豆瓣评分多少 (dòu bàn píng fēn duō shǎo) — What's the Douban rating? 这个电影评分8.5 (zhè ge diàn yǐng píng fēn bā diǎn wǔ) — This film has an 8.5 rating. 给我推荐一部好看的电影 (gěi wǒ tuī jiàn yī bù hǎo kàn de diàn yǐng) — Recommend a good movie to me. 最近有什么好看的剧 (zuì jìn yǒu shén me hǎo kàn de jù) — What good shows are on recently? 你看过最好看的中国电影是什么 (nǐ kàn guò zuì hǎo kàn de zhōng guó diàn yǐng shì shén me) — What's the best Chinese movie you've seen?

Talking about actors: 演员 (yǎn yuán) — actor, 明星 (míng xīng) — star / celebrity, 流量 (liú liàng) — traffic / popularity (流量明星 liú liàng míng xīng — "traffic star," a celebrity famous for online popularity/data rather than acting skill — often used critically), 实力派 (shí lì pài) — talented / skilled actor (opposite of 流量明星), 老戏骨 (lǎo xì gǔ) — veteran actor (literally "old drama bone" — a term of deep respect for an experienced actor with masterful skills), 小鲜肉 (xiǎo xiān ròu) — "little fresh meat" (young, handsome male idol/actor — can be neutral or slightly dismissive depending on context). Key phrases: 我很喜欢这个演员 (wǒ hěn xǐ huān zhè ge yǎn yuán) — I really like this actor. 他/她演得特别好 (tā yǎn de tè bié hǎo) — He/she acts really well. 这位是老戏骨了 (zhè wèi shì lǎo xì gǔ le) — This one is a veteran actor. For personal reviews: 我觉得还不错 (wǒ jué de hái bù cuò) — I think it's pretty good. 剧情有点拖 (jù qíng yǒu diǎn tuō) — The plot drags a bit. 结局让我很意外 (jié jú ràng wǒ hěn yì wài) — The ending surprised me. 我推荐你看 (wǒ tuī jiàn nǐ kàn) — I recommend you watch it.