n.
movie; film
电影
movie; film
Literally 'electric shadows' (电 electricity + 影 shadow/image). Movie or motion picture; measure word is 部 (bù). Pair with 看电影.
Common Usage & Traps
- 看电影 — watch a movie / go to the movies
- 一部电影 — one movie (with the counter 部)
- 看个电影 — catch a movie (casual, the 一 is swallowed)
- 老电影 — old movie / classic film
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看一个电影看一部电影 / 看个电影 / 看电影部 is the counter that belongs to films. 个 only survives inside the mushy spoken form 看个电影; with the full 一个 it sounds like a learner reading a dictionary.
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看电视剧的时候说 看电影看剧 / 看电视剧电影 is a single film. An episodic series is 剧 or 电视剧, and clips on your phone are 视频.
Is 看一个电影 wrong, or do I really need 部?
Once you count movies, use 部: 看一部电影. If you're just naming the activity, drop the counter: 看电影.
部 is the counter films travel with, the way cars take 辆. Using 个 is not gibberish, but 看一个电影 sounds like a textbook tape from 1998. In fast speech people do say 看个电影, where the 一 vanishes and 个 fades into nothing. The second you actually count, 部 comes back: 两部电影, 第一部电影. When no number is needed, skip the counter completely. 看电影, 去看电影, 我想看电影 — all clean and normal.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| One movie, counting it | 看一部电影 | 看一个电影 |
| Movie night, no counting | 看电影 / 看个电影 | 看一个电影 |
| Several movies | 两部电影 | 两个电影 |
Does 看电影 mean sitting in a cinema, or can it be Netflix on my couch?
Both. 看电影 covers the cinema, the couch, and going out — Chinese never splits 'watch' from 'go see'.
English needs one verb for the sofa and another for the cinema; Chinese uses 看电影 for everything. Add a place only when the place matters: 去电影院看电影, 在家看电影. You do not need 去 to signal that you are heading out. 我今晚看电影 already sounds like an evening plan. Location sits before 看电影, never after it.
“我在等朋友看电影。” (I'm waiting for a friend to watch a movie.)
“我在等朋友看电影。” (I'm waiting for a friend to watch a movie.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Cinema trip | 去电影院看电影 | 去电影看电影 |
| Watching at home | 在家看电影 | 看电影在家 |
| Saying where you are | 我在电影院 | 我在电影 |
If I'm binge-watching a show on Netflix, is that 看电影?
No. 电影 is a film. A ten-episode series is 电视剧, or just 剧.
Beginners call every glowing screen a 电影, then wonder why friends look puzzled. A 电影 is one film you finish in a sitting, at home or at the cinema. Anything episodic is 电视剧, shortened to 剧 in WeChat and group chats. If the TV is only on in the background, that is 看电视, no specific show required. Clips on your phone are 视频.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming a series | 看剧 / 看电视剧 | 看电影 |
| The TV set at home | 看电视 | 看电影 |
| Phone clips and shorts | 看视频 | 看电影 |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
This short poem plays with words that sound alike, comparing things that are good to watch, read, hear, or taste. Perfect for practicing basic adjectives like 好 and 真.
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好 电影 好看，好书不好看。
Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.
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后天有个好 电影 。
In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.
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我在等朋友看 电影 。
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最近我每周都游两三次，但看 电影 是我最大的爱好！
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