Learn Chinese Popular Words: Dapian

DAPIAN, which has become a popular Chinese word in the last three years, may be the equivalent of the English BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE.

Zhang Weiping, Director of the New Picture Company and the producer of Hero and House of Flying Daggers, expounded on its definition: "It focuses more on form than art, and the form incorporates three parts--big budget, big scenery, and a stellar cast. In other words, we call it a commercial movie."

Dapian is also associated with an increasing use of promotion and advertising prior to its opening. Of course, a high box office income is a powerful factor to becoming a dapian.

Before 2004, dapian was specially used to introduce movies made in Hollywood. According to a well-known line among moviegoers: “Only those who are labeled dapian deserve to charge expensive cinema tickets, which bring us impressive stereo surround sound. As for locally made movies, there’s little difference between watching them in the cinema and at home.”

Starting from Hero, dapian was no longer reserved specifically to introduced blockbuster movies. Hero earned 25 million yuan in the box office despite the sea of criticism that flooded it. On the other hand, it became a good example that Chinese domestic productions could beat mega-budget Hollywood films in the box office.

Now, with Chen Kaige’s The Promise (2004), Feng Xiaoge’s The Banquet (2005) and the still being screened Curse of Golden Flower (2005) by Zhang Yimou, the use of dapian seems to swing to the other side: They refer to box office blockbusters, widely popular among the public, yet lack content and quality.

The word dapian is witnessing the development of the Chinese film industry and the improvement of Chinese audience’s eye for aesthetics. At present, wenyipian, referring to arthouse films, are attracting more and more long-time moviegoers.

Chinese Words:

大片 blockbuster movies

国产大片  domestic blockbuster movies

进口大片  introduced blockbuster movies

票房      box office

文艺片    arthouse movies