Chinese word

演员

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎn yuán

Meaning

  • nounactor

Example

他是演员。tā shì yǎn yuán

He is an actor.

Illustration for 演员 (actor)

More examples

电影里的演员演得很好。diàn yǐng lǐ de yǎn yuán yǎn de hěn hǎo

The actor in the film performed very well.

Core concept

A working performer who gives a character a recognizable voice, personality, and presence in a production.

Common phrases

  • 男演员nán yǎn yuán

    male actor

  • 女演员nǘ yǎn yuán

    female actor

  • 电影演员diàn yíng yǎn yuán

    film actor

  • 著名演员zhù míng yǎn yuán

    famous actor

Similar words

表演者biáo yán zhě: A person who gives a performance for an audience on stage, television, or film.
明星míng xīng: A famous person known through film, television, music, or other entertainment.
主演zhú yǎn: A person who plays the most important role in a production.

Definition in Chinese

从事表演工作，在戏剧、电影、电视剧等作品中通过语言、动作和表情塑造角色的人。cóng shì biáo yǎn gōng zuò zài xì jù diàn yǐng diàn shì jù děng zuò pǐn zhōng tōng guò yǔ yán dòng zuò hé biǎo qíng sù zào jué sè de rén

Word origin

演员 (yǎnyuán, "actor") joins 演 (yǎn, "perform") + 员 (yuán, "member") to refer to a member of the performing profession.

Usage tips

  • With 当 (dāng, "work as"), the noun describes taking up this profession, while 是 (shì, "to be") states that it is a person's current occupation.

Other meanings

  • cast membernoun
  • performernoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 演员表yǎn yuán biǎocast listnoun
  • 职业演员zhí yè yǎn yuánprofessional actornoun

Word lists with this word