詠嘆調 / 咏叹调
yǒngtàndiào
In Chinese, the English word 'aria' is expressed as 詠嘆調 / 咏叹调 (yǒngtàndiào). If unsure, use 詠嘆調 / 咏叹调. Wiktionary also lists 唱段 (chàngduàn) and 北曲 (běiqǔ).
Meaning: type of musical piece (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 詠嘆調 / 咏叹调 | yǒngtàndiào | |
| 唱段 | chàngduàn | |
| 北曲 | běiqǔ | China, North |
The term for 'aria' varies depending on whether you are referring to Western classical music, traditional Chinese opera or specific regional musical styles.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 詠嘆調 can be broken down into its literal components: 詠 (to sing or chant), 嘆 (to lament or sigh) and 調 (melody or tune).
Which one should you use?
Use 詠嘆調 / 咏叹调 specifically when referring to Western-style operatic arias. For a more general term used for a musical segment or aria within the context of traditional Chinese opera, use 唱段.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the context of North China, the term 北曲 is used to refer to a specific style of musical tunes or arias known as Northern tunes.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for 詠嘆調 / 咏叹调 is yǒngtàndiào.
Did you know?
- In Chinese opera, a 唱段 is often categorized by its 'role type', meaning the term for an aria changes based on whether the singer is a male lead or a female lead.
- The term 詠 in 詠嘆調 is traditionally associated with 'ode' or 'poetry', highlighting that Chinese views the aria as a sung poem rather than just a melody.
- In the context of 北曲, the term 'North' does not just refer to geography but to a specific poetic meter and musical system distinct from the Southern styles.
Examples in context
- 亚亚, 去玩吗?Yà yà, qù wán ma? – Aria, do you want to go out and play?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aria” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
