Kilo Lingo

(piàn míng) - film title, title of a film in Mandarin

piànmíng

Traditional: 片名

#2756 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

film title, title of a film

Word origin

A compound of 片 (piàn, short for 影片, a film) and 名 (míng, name), so the name of a film.

Origin
compound
Root
片 (piàn, film) + 名 (míng, name)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 片

Stroke order for 名

Examples

The title of this film is very odd.

I have forgotten that film title.

The title is usually printed at the top of the poster.

Could you look this film title up for me?

The Chinese title and the original are completely different.

片名 (piàn míng) is specifically the title of a film. The 片 here is the 片 of 影片 and 短片, a reel of film, not the 片 that means a thin slice, and 名 supplies the name. It turns up constantly in listings, reviews and the sort of conversation where nobody can remember what the thing was called.

It is worth knowing because Chinese release titles are often rewritten rather than translated, so the 中文片名 of a foreign film can bear no relation to the original. Asking 片名叫什么 is how you pin down which film somebody actually means.

The trap is assuming one word covers every kind of title. 片名 is films only. A book or article takes 书名 or 标题, a song takes 歌名, and a job title is 职位. Use 片名 for a novel and you will be understood, but you will have said something slightly odd.

Where this fits

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Mandarin · Free printables

片名: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "片名" (film title, title of a film): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 56.