Chinese word

童话

Pronunciation

Pinyintóng huà

Meaning

  • nounfairy tale

Example

她小时候最爱听童话故事。tā xiǎo shí hòu zuì ài tīng tóng huà gù shì

She loved listening to fairy tales most when she was a child.

Illustration for 童话 (fairy tale)

More examples

这部电影把童话改编成了动画片。zhè bù diàn yǐng bǎ tóng huà gǎi biān chéng le dòng huà piàn

This movie adapted the fairy tale into an animated film.

Core concept

Storytelling centered on a child's world, where ordinary or magical events are easy to follow and may teach a value.

Common phrases

  • 童话故事tóng huà gù shì

    fairy tale

  • 讲童话jiǎng tóng huà

    tell fairy tales

  • 读童话dú tóng huà

    read fairy tales

Similar words

故事gù shì: A spoken or written account of people and events.
寓言yù yán: A brief story with characters such as animals that conveys a lesson.
传说chuán shuō: A long-remembered story passed from generation to generation, not known to be true.

Definition in Chinese

指面向儿童的故事体裁，既可为口头传说，也可为书籍或影视改编，常用简单语言呈现人物与事件并传递道德或想象。zhǐ miàn xiàng ér tóng de gù shì tǐ cái jì kě wèi kǒu tóu chuán shuō yě kě wèi shū jí huò yǐng shì gǎi biān cháng yòng jiǎn dān yǔ yán chéng xiàn rén wù yǔ shì jiàn bìng chuán dì dào dé huò xiǎng xiàng

Word origin

The word 童话 (tónghuà, "fairy tale") combines 童 (tóng, "child") with 话 (huà, "speech"), linking a child's world with a story told for children.

Usage tips

  • English often uses fairy tale for a magic-centered genre, while Chinese can use this word more broadly for children's imaginative storytelling, including stories without a fixed magical plot.

Other meanings

  • children's storynoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 童话剧tóng huà jùfairy-tale playnoun
  • 童话集tóng huà jífairy-tale collectionnoun
  • 童话式tóng huà shìfairy-tale-likeadjective

Word lists with this word