How to Write 演 (yǎn) — Meaning “To perform / To act”

Imagine an actor (演) standing on a stage (like the top part of 寅) with water (氵) flowing around, representing the smooth and emotional delivery of a performance. The shape of 寅 looks like a person with arms extended, acting out a scene.

Write the water radical 氵 first with three dots in a curved line. Then carefully write 寅: start with the top strokes (一点一横), then the middle structure (竖折横竖横竖横撇点), making sure the left and right sides are balanced. A common mistake is making the bottom of 寅 too wide or forgetting the middle horizontal stroke.

渝 (yú) means "to change" or is used in the city name 重庆 (Chongqing), and has the same water radical but a different right component 俞. 渡 (dù) means "to cross (water)" with the right part 度; it focuses on physical crossing. 演 is only about performing, speaking, or acting, not about water movement.

演 is very common in contexts like theater and film: 演员 (actor), 表演 (performance). It is also used for speeches: 演讲 (to give a speech). Culturally, 演 implies a planned, often artistic presentation, whether on stage or in a formal speech, highlighting the skill of expression.

Common words containing 演 include: 演员 (yǎn yuán) — Actor / Performer; 表演 (biǎo yǎn) — to perform; performance; 演讲 (yǎn jiǎng) — Speech / To give a speech.