Chinese word

自拍

Pronunciation

Pinyinzì pāi

Meaning

  • verbtake a selfie

Example

他们在派对上一起自拍了。tā men zài pài duì shàng yì qǐ zì pāi le

They took a selfie together at the party.

Illustration for 自拍 (take a selfie)

More examples

我用手机自拍了一张。wǒ yòng shǒu jī zì pāi le yì zhāng

I took a selfie using my phone.

Core concept

The maker and the subject are the same person as a camera records a photo or video.

Common phrases

  • 用手机自拍yòng shǒu jī zì pāi

    take a selfie using a phone

  • 和朋友一起自拍hé péng yǒu yì qǐ zì pāi

    take a selfie with friends

  • 在镜子前自拍zài jìng zi qián zì pāi

    take a selfie in front of a mirror

  • 拿着自拍杆自拍ná zhe zì pāi gǎn zì pāi

    take a selfie with a selfie stick

Similar words

拍照pāi zhào: Taking a photo with a phone or camera.
照相zhào xiàng: Photographing people or scenery with a camera.
合影hé yǐng: Taking a group photo with several people together.

Definition in Chinese

用手机或相机自己拍摄自己的照片或视频。yòng shǒu jī huò xiàng jī zì jǐ pāi shè zì jǐ de zhào piān huò shì pín

Word origin

The meaning of 自拍 (zìpāi, "take a selfie") follows directly from 自 (zì, "self") + 拍 (pāi, "take a photo"), or photographing oneself with a camera.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often hear selfie as a still photo, but Chinese also uses this word for a self-recorded video.

Other meanings

  • selfienoun

Opposites

  • 被拍bèi pāibe photographedverb
  • 拍别人pāi bié rénphotograph other peopleverb

Related words

  • 自拍照zì pāi zhàoselfie picturenoun
  • 自拍杆zì pāi gǎnselfie sticknoun
  • 自拍模式zì pāi mó shìselfie modenoun

Word lists with this word