Chinese word

玩

Pronunciation

Pinyinwán

Meaning

  • verbplay

Example

孩子们在公园玩得很开心。hái zi men zài gōng yuán wán de hěn kāi xīn

The children are playing happily in the park.

Illustration for 玩 (play)

More examples

放学后他们在操场上玩球。fàng xué hòu tā men zài cāo chǎng shàng wán qiú

After school, they are playing ball on the playground.

Core concept

Spend time with an activity or object for pleasure, without focusing on a useful result.

Common phrases

  • 玩游戏wán yóu xì

    play games

  • 玩球wán qiú

    play ball

  • 玩手机wán shǒu jī

    play on one's phone

Similar words

玩儿wánr: Play or mess around for fun in an informal spoken style.
游戏yóu xì: Take part in a game for entertainment, especially on an electronic device.
玩耍wán shuǎ: Engage in lively play for fun, as children do outdoors with friends.

Definition in Chinese

进行娱乐活动以消磨时间、获得快乐的行为或动作，既可指儿童的玩耍，也可指成年人从事的休闲活动。jìn xíng yú lè huó dòng yǐ xiāo mó shí jiān huò dé kuài lè de xíng wéi huò dòng zuò jì kě zhǐ ér tóng de wán shuǎ yě kě zhǐ chéng nián rén cóng shì de xiū xián huó dòng

Word origin

玩 (wán, "play") originally had senses connected with handling and appreciating valued objects, then broadened to leisure, amusement, and playful activity.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this verb can take an activity or an object, while English often chooses a more specific verb for the same situation, so its wider range is useful in casual speech.

Other meanings

  • enjoyverb
  • fiddle withverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word