玩电子游戏
wán diànzǐ yóuxì
The English phrase 'play video games' translates to Chinese as 玩电子游戏 (wán diànzǐ yóuxì).
The phrase is used to describe spending time playing games on an electronic device for entertainment.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the verb 玩, which means to play or to have fun and the noun 电子游戏, which literally translates to 'electronic games'.
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter the shorter phrase 打游戏.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In casual conversation, people often use the shorter, informal phrase 打游戏. In this colloquial version, the verb 打 (which literally means 'to hit' or 'to strike') is frequently used to mean playing video games.
How do you pronounce it?
wán diànzǐ yóuxì
Did you know?
- The term 电子游戏 is formal, but in modern slang, gamers often refer to the act of gaming as 肝 (gān), which means 'to liver'.
- When players talk about 'grinding' for items or levels, they often use the term 刷 (shuā), which literally means 'to brush' or 'to scrub'.
- You might hear the term 氪金 (kè jīn) used to describe spending real money on in-game purchases. It literally translates to 'charging gold'.
Examples in context
- 我宁愿逃学也要玩电子游戏。I'd rather skip school and play video games.This sentence is useful for showing how someone might prioritize the activity of 玩电子游戏 over school.Tatoeba #794506 by eastasiastudent, translation #794507 by CM
- 我喜欢玩电子游戏。I like to play video games.
- 学校允许学生在休息时间玩电子游戏吗？Does the school allow students to play video games during break time?
- 周末我们一起打游戏吧！Let's play video games together this weekend!
- 他经常在晚上玩游戏。He often plays video games in the evening.
- 他喜欢在周末玩电子游戏。Tā xǐhuān zài zhōumò wán diànzǐ yóuxì.He likes to play video games on the weekend.
- 不要整天玩电子游戏。Búyào zhěngtiān wán diànzǐ yóuxì.Don't play video games all day long.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Yuting are discussing their weekend plans.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，你想一起玩电子游戏吗？Yǔtíng, nǐ xiǎng yìqǐ wán diànzǐ yóuxì ma?Yuting, do you want to play video games together?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想，但我的作业还没写完。Wǒ xiǎng, dàn wǒ de zuòyè hái méi xiě wán.I want to, but I haven't finished my homework yet.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那你快点写，我们晚点玩。Nà nǐ kuài diǎn xiě, wǒmen wǎndiǎn wán.Then finish quickly, and we will play later.
- 雨婷 Yuting没问题，志强，等我十分钟。Méi wèntí, Zhìqiáng, děng wǒ shí fēnzhōng.No problem, Zhiqiang, give me ten minutes.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
