演

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show); (bound form) to develop; to play out; to carry out (a task)

Make a writing worksheet

HSK 3.0: Level 3
Old HSK: Level 4
Strokes: 14
Radical: 水 +11
Structure: Left–right 左右
Traditional: 演
Common rank: #755
Unicode: U+6F14

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 演 is formed

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

氵 meaning “water” + 寅 sound ( yín )

Components 氵寅

How to remember it

perform · Heisig RSH #1466

水 water + 寅 sign of the tiger

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 演

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
天体演化学	tiān tǐ yǎn huà xué	cosmogony
三国演义	Sān guó Yǎn yì	Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong 羅貫中\|罗贯中[Luo2 Guan4 zhong1], one of the Four…
演出地点	yǎn chū dì diǎn	performance place; CL:處\|处[chu4]
本色出演	běn sè chū yǎn	(of an actor) to play a role that matches one's own character or personality
演出者	yǎn chū zhě	performer
自导自演	zì dǎo zì yǎn	to direct a movie in which one also plays a major role as an actor; (fig.) to plan and exe…
联合军演	lián hé jūn yǎn	joint military exercise
电影演员	diàn yǐng yǎn yuán	film actor; movie actor; movie actress
民国通俗演义	Mín guó tōng sú yǎn yì	Dramatized history of Republican China until 1927 by Cai Dongfan 蔡東藩\|蔡东藩, and later chapte…
时装表演	shí zhuāng biǎo yǎn	fashion show
天演论	tiān yǎn lùn	the theory of evolution (early translation, since replaced by 進化論\|进化论)
临时演员	lín shí yǎn yuán	an extra (in a movie)
演说者	yǎn shuō zhě	orator; speaker
天演	tiān yǎn	natural change; evolution (early translation, since replaced by 進化\|进化)
演化	yǎn huà	to evolve; evolution
上演	shàng yǎn	to screen (a movie); to stage (a play); a screening; a staging
公演	gōng yǎn	to perform in public; to give a performance
出演	chū yǎn	to perform (in a play, film, concert etc); to play the part of; to portray
演出	yǎn chū	to act (in a play); to perform; to put on (a performance); performance; concert; show; CL:…
主演	zhǔ yǎn	to play the leading role; to star; lead actor

Sound family

Characters sharing the sound component 寅 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
寅 sound part	yín	to respect, to revere; respectfully; 3rd terrestrial branch
夤	yín	late at night; distant, remote; deep