玩游戏
wán yóuxì
To play games in Chinese is 玩游戏 (wán yóuxì).
玩游戏 is a common and straightforward way to express the act of playing games. You can also specify the type of game, such as 玩手机游戏 (wán shǒu jī yóu xì) to refer specifically to playing games on mobile phones.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 玩游戏 consists of 玩 (wán), meaning 'to play/have fun' and 游戏 (yóuxì), meaning 'game/play'.
Which one should you use?
While 玩游戏 is standard, you may encounter other forms depending on the context. 打游戏 (dǎ yóuxì) is often used when referring to video games, conveying a more active and immersive sense. For a formal context, you can use 参与游戏 (cān yù yóu xì) to express the act of participating in games.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In northern China, you may hear the informal form 玩儿游戏 (wánr yóu xì), which adds an 儿 (r) sound after 玩.
How do you pronounce it?
wán yóuxì
Did you know?
- While 玩 means 'to play', using it with a person, such as 玩他 (wán tā), can imply manipulating or tricking someone rather than playing a game with them.
- The character 游 (yóu) in 游戏 is the same character found in 游泳 (yóuyǒng), which means 'to swim'. This highlights the idea of 'wandering' or 'moving freely' as a core part of the concept of a game.
- Using 打 (dǎ) for games like 打麻将 (dǎ májiàng) reflects the physical action of striking tiles against the table during a game of Mahjong.
Examples in context
- 我没时间跟你玩游戏。I don't have time to play games with you.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 玩游戏.Tatoeba #5780578 by verdastelo9604, translation #2568656 by Hybrid
- 你喜欢玩游戏吗？(Nǐ xǐ huān wán yóu xì ma?)Do you like to play games?
- 是的，我经常玩电脑游戏。(Shì de, wǒ jīng cháng wán diàn nǎo yóu xì.)Yes, I often play computer games.
- 你可以教我玩手机游戏吗？(Nǐ kě yǐ jiào wǒ wán shǒu jī yóu xì ma?)Can you teach me how to play mobile games?
- 弟弟喜欢在电脑上玩游戏。Dìdi xǐhuān zài diànnǎo shàng wán yóuxì.Little brother likes to play games on the computer.
- 我们下午去玩游戏吧。Wǒmen xiàwǔ qù wán yóuxì ba.Let's go play games this afternoon.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their weekend plans at a coffee shop.
- 佳怡 Jiayi志强，你周末想去玩游戏吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ zhōumò xiǎng qù wán yóuxì ma?Zhiqiang, do you want to play games this weekend?
- 志强 Zhiqiang好啊，你想玩什么游戏？Hǎo a, nǐ xiǎng wán shénme yóuxì?Sure, what games do you want to play?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想和你玩桌游。Wǒ xiǎng hé nǐ wán zhuōyóu.I want to play board games with you.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没问题，我很喜欢玩游戏。Méi wèntí, wǒ hěn xǐhuān wán yóuxì.No problem, I really like playing games.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
