艺术
yìshù
The English word "art" is translated into Chinese as 艺术 (yìshù).
艺术 is used to refer to art in a broad sense, including both the fine arts like painting and more generally to any highly skilled craft or technique.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 艺 (yì), meaning skill or talent and 术 (shù), meaning technique or method.
Which one should you use?
To refer specifically to a physical object or a piece of art, you can use the form 艺术品 by adding the suffix 品 (pǐn), which means product or item. Additionally, if you wish to specifically refer to the visual arts, you can use the more formal term 美術 (měishù).
How do you pronounce it?
yìshù
Did you know?
- While 艺术 is the general term, the phrase 艺术细胞 literally means 'art cells' and is used to describe someone's innate talent or 'artistic gene'.
- In some classical contexts, the character 艺 referred specifically to the 'Six Arts' (六艺), which were the essential skills required for a gentleman in ancient China.
- The component 术 (shù) in 艺术 is the same character used in the word for 'surgery', implying that high-level art is a form of technical mastery.
Examples in context
- 你了解艺术吗？Do you know anything about art?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has knowledge about 艺术.Tatoeba #13889022 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #3396466 by CK
- 现代艺术对我没有兴趣。Modern art isn't interested in me.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of interest in modern 艺术.Tatoeba #10191055 by GlossaMatik, translation #10188870 by DJ_Saidez
- 现代艺术对我不感兴趣。Modern art doesn't have an interest in me.Tatoeba #10367914 by GlossaMatik, translation #10189083 by DJ_Saidez
- 我很喜歡欣賞藝術。I really enjoy appreciating art.
- 這幅畫真是藝術的瑰寶。This painting is truly a masterpiece of art.
- 他在大學學習美術。He studies fine arts at the university.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are walking through a museum.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这里的艺术品很漂亮。Zhèlǐ de yìshùpǐn hěn piàoliang.The art pieces here are very beautiful.
- 伟 Wei是的，我也很喜欢。Shì de, wǒ yě hěn xǐhuān.Yes, I like them a lot too.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你对艺术感兴趣吗？Nǐ duì yìshù gǎnxìngqù ma?Are you interested in art?
- 伟 Wei非常感兴趣。Fēicháng gǎnxìngqù.Very much so.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
