放音乐
fàng yīnyuè
To play music in Chinese is to say 放音乐 (fàng yīnyuè).
放音乐 is used for playing recorded music through a device, such as a speaker or phone, rather than playing a musical instrument.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb 放 literally means 'to release', 'to put' or 'to let go' and in this context, it implies 'releasing' the sound into the room. The noun 音乐 is composed of 音 (sound) and 乐 (music/joy).
How do you pronounce it?
fàng yīnyuè
Did you know?
- If you use 放 with a firework, it means to 'set it off'. Both playing music and lighting fireworks involve 'releasing' something into the air.
- The character 音 (yīn) in 音乐 refers specifically to 'sound' or 'tone', and is also the root for the word 'news' (新闻), which literally means 'new sounds'.
- The character 乐 can be pronounced as yuè meaning 'music' or lè meaning 'happiness'. The two meanings are historically linked because music was seen as a source of joy.
Examples in context
- 请您播放音乐。Please play music.
- 放一首好听的音乐。Play a good piece of music.
- 请播放古典音乐Please play classical music
- 请放音乐。Qǐng fàng yīnyuè.Please play some music.
- 我们可以放音乐吗？Wǒmen kěyǐ fàng yīnyuè ma?Can we play some music?
- 不要在教室里放音乐。Búyào zài jiàoshì lǐ fàng yīnyuè.Don't play music in the classroom.
Example conversation
Two friends are relaxing in a living room.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，我们可以放音乐吗？Jùnjié, wǒmen kěyǐ fàng yīnyuè ma?Junjie, can we play some music?
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，雨婷，你想听什么？Hǎo de, Yǔtíng, nǐ xiǎng tīng shénme?Okay, Yuting, what do you want to listen to?
- 雨婷 Yuting请放点轻音乐。Qǐng fàng diǎn qīng yīnyuè.Please play some light music.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，马上放。Méi wèntí, mǎshàng fàng.No problem, I'll play it right away.
