动 dòng — to use; to act; to move; to change
风一吹，树叶就动了。Fēng yì chuī, shù yè jiù dòng le.When the wind blew, the leaves moved.
Common words: 动作 (dòng zuò)、活动 (huó dòng)、行动 (xíng dòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to act"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to act", including 动 (dòng), 举 (jǔ), 演 (yǎn), 操 (cāo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to act" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 动 (dòng), 举 (jǔ), 演 (yǎn), 操 (cāo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dòng, jǔ, yǎn, cāo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 动 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 动 dòngto use; to act; to move; to changeUseful words: 动作, 活动
- 举 jǔto lift; to hold up; to cite; to enumerate; to act; to raiseUseful words: 举行, 举手
- 演 yǎnto develop; to evolve; to practice; to perform; to play; to actUseful words: 表演, 演出
- 操 cāoto hold; to drill; to exercise; to act; to do; to take in handUseful words: 操作, 体操
Common words for these 4 "to act" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 动 (dòng) — so "to act" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
动作dòng zuòmovement; motion; action; to act活动huó dòngto exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky行动xíng dòngoperation; action; to move about; mobile举行jǔ xíngto hold (a meeting, ceremony etc)举手jǔ shǒuto raise a hand; to put up one's hand (as signal)举办jǔ bànto conduct; to hold (an event)表演biǎo yǎnplay; show; performance; exhibition演出yǎn chūto act (in a play); to perform; to put on (a performance); performance演员yǎn yuánactor; actress; performer操作cāo zuòto work; to operate; to manipulate
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "to act".
举 jǔ — to lift; to hold up; to cite; to enumerate; to act; to raise
有问题请举手。Yǒu wèn tí qǐng jǔ shǒu.If you have a question, please raise your hand.
Common words: 举行 (jǔ xíng)、举手 (jǔ shǒu)、举办 (jǔ bàn)
演 yǎn — to develop; to evolve; to practice; to perform; to play; to act
这位演员的表演十分精彩。Zhè wèi yǎn yuán de biǎo yǎn shí fēn jīng cǎi.This actor performance is wonderful.
Common words: 表演 (biǎo yǎn)、演出 (yǎn chū)、演员 (yǎn yuán)
操 cāo — to hold; to drill; to exercise; to act; to do; to take in hand
每天早上我们都要做早操。Měi tiān zǎo shang wǒ men dōu yào zuò zǎo cāo.Every morning we do morning exercises.
Common words: 操作 (cāo zuò)、体操 (tǐ cāo)、操场 (cāo chǎng)
All 4 characters
Open 动、举、演 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.