Writers, painters, exhibitions, the stage and the page.
Many words for people in the arts end in 家, which marks someone who has made a field their own: 作家, 画家, 书法家. The theatre comes in kinds English does not separate: 话剧 is a play with spoken dialogue, 京剧 Beijing opera, sung and stylised, and 相声 a comic dialogue that English can only call “crosstalk”.
The words
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Verb (5)
出版to publishVerb4
她的第一本小说明年出版。Her first novel comes out next year.
作曲to compose (music)Verb4
他不但会唱歌，还会作曲。He not only sings but composes too.
曲 is qǔ, a tune; qū means bent.
弹to play (a keyboard or string instrument)Verb4
他一边弹吉他一边唱歌。He sang while playing the guitar.
For keys and plucked strings; a violin takes 拉, a flute 吹.
想象to imagine; imaginationVerb4
读小说的时候，我常常想象自己就是主人公。When I read a novel I often imagine I am the main character.
描写to describe, to portrayVerb4
这篇文章描写了作者的家乡。This essay describes the writer’s home town.
Noun (36)
艺术artNoun4
对我来说，做菜也是一种艺术。For me, cooking is an art too.
艺术品work of artNoun4
她做的蛋糕漂亮得像艺术品。The cakes she makes are as beautiful as works of art.
文学literatureNoun4
她从小就喜欢文学，后来当了作家。She loved literature from childhood and later became a writer.
小说novel, fictionNoun3
这本小说我一口气就看完了。I read this novel in one go.
Measure word: 本, or 部 for a long work.
诗poem, poetryNoun4
他给女朋友写了一首诗。He wrote a poem for his girlfriend.
Measure word: 首.
诗人poetNoun4
李白是中国最有名的诗人之一。Li Bai is one of China’s most famous poets.
作家writerNoun4
这位作家每天早上写三个小时。This writer writes for three hours every morning.
画家painterNoun4
他爷爷是一位有名的画家。His grandfather was a well-known painter.
作品work (of art or literature)Noun4
展览里有很多学生的作品。The exhibition has a lot of work by students.
作者authorNoun4
这本书的作者下周来我们学校。The author of this book is coming to our school next week.
展览exhibition; to exhibitNoun4
美术馆这个月有一个很好的展览。There is a very good exhibition at the art gallery this month.
戏剧drama, theatreNoun4
她在大学参加了戏剧社。At university she joined the drama club.
话剧play (spoken drama)Noun4
周末我们去剧院看了话剧。At the weekend we went to see a play.
A play with spoken dialogue, as opposed to opera.
歌剧operaNoun4
意大利的歌剧很有名。Italian opera is very famous.
京剧Beijing operaNoun4
我爷爷每个周末都去剧院看京剧。Every weekend my grandfather goes to the theatre to see Beijing opera.
书法calligraphyNoun4
写好书法要有很大的耐心。Good calligraphy takes great patience.
散文prose; essayNoun4
比起小说，我更喜欢读散文。I prefer reading essays to novels.
散 is sǎn here; in 散步 it is sàn.
油画oil paintingNoun4
客厅的墙上挂着一幅油画。An oil painting hangs on the living-room wall.
Measure word: 幅.
国画traditional Chinese paintingNoun4
国画常常画山水和花鸟。Traditional Chinese painting often shows landscapes, flowers and birds.
画展art exhibitionNoun4
周六我们一起去看画展吧。Let’s go to the art exhibition together on Saturday.
美术fine arts; art (as a school subject)Noun4
我上中学的时候最喜欢上美术课。At secondary school, my favourite lessons were art.
美术馆art galleryNoun4
这座城市的美术馆星期一不开门。The art gallery in this city is closed on Mondays.
剧本script, playNoun4
演员们拿到剧本以后就开始排练。Once the actors had the script, they began rehearsing.
剧院theatreNoun4
剧院里坐满了观众。The theatre was packed.
民歌folk songNoun4
这首民歌我奶奶小时候就会唱。My grandmother could sing this folk song as a child.
乐器musical instrumentNoun4
你会什么乐器？Which instruments can you play?
钢琴pianoNoun3
她五岁开始学钢琴。She started learning the piano at five.
Played with 弹: 弹钢琴.
主人公protagonist, main characterNoun4
这部小说的主人公是一个普通的老师。The main character of this novel is an ordinary teacher.
人物character (in a story); figureNoun4
这部电影里的人物都很真实。The characters in this film are all very true to life.
情节plotNoun4
这个故事的情节太复杂了。The plot of this story is too complicated.
名著classic, famous workNoun4
暑假里老师让我们读两本名著。Over the summer holidays the teacher had us read two classics.
童话fairy taleNoun4
小时候我最喜欢听童话。As a child I loved listening to fairy tales.
神话mythNoun4
很多古老的神话都讲到了太阳和月亮。Many ancient myths tell of the sun and the moon.
戏曲traditional Chinese operaNoun4
京剧是中国戏曲的一种。Beijing opera is one kind of traditional Chinese opera.
The umbrella word for all the regional sung theatres, of which 京剧 is the best known.
相声comic dialogue (crosstalk)Noun4
这两个演员说的相声让大家笑个不停。The crosstalk by these two performers had everyone laughing non-stop.
Usually performed by two people, and “spoken”: 说相声.
杂技acrobaticsNoun4
来北京一定要去看看杂技。If you come to Beijing, you must go and see the acrobats.
This list belongs to Chinese culture and history — six lists and 242 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 41 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.
