Chinese symbol for “perform”
演
yǎn
to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show); (bound form) to develop; to play out; to carry out (a task)
The closest CC-CEDICT match for perform is 演 (yǎn), defined as: to perform (a play etc); to stage (a show); (bound form) to develop; to play out; to carry out (a task).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “perform”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 出演 | chū yǎn | to perform (in a play, film, concert etc); to play the part of; to portray |
| 表演 | biǎo yǎn | play; show |
| 演出 | yǎn chū | to act (in a play); to perform |
| 协奏 (協奏) | xié zòu | to perform (a concerto) |
| 行 | xíng | (bound form) to walk; to go; to travel; (literary) trip; journey; visit |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 演.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 表演 | biǎo yǎn | play; show |
| 导演 (導演) | dǎo yǎn | to direct; director (film etc) |
| 演员 (演員) | yǎn yuán | actor; actress; performer |
| 演出 | yǎn chū | to act (in a play); to perform |
| 演讲 (演講) | yǎn jiǎng | to give a lecture; to make a speech |
| 扮演 | bàn yǎn | to play the role of; to act |
See also: Japanese symbol for “perform”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.