演

yǎn

verb HSK 3 #1,066

Meanings

1 to perform; to act; to play (a role)
2 to develop; to evolve
3 to practice; to drill

Characters

to perform; to develop

Contains the water radical 氵 — originally meant "to flow" and evolved to mean "to develop/unfold."

Examples

她演得很好。

Tā yǎn de hěn hǎo.

She performed very well.

这部电影是谁演的？

Zhè bù diànyǐng shì shéi yǎn de?

Who acted in this movie?

他在演一个坏人。

Tā zài yǎn yī gè huàirén.

He's playing a villain.

Tips

usage

演 forms many compound words: 演出 (performance), 演员 (actor), 演唱 (to sing for audience), 演讲 (speech/lecture), 表演 (to perform).

Stroke Order

演 yǎn