piàofáng: 票房 - Box Office

• Keywords: 票房, piàofáng, piao fang, Chinese box office, movie box office, box office revenue, ticket sales, Chinese movies, movie tickets in Chinese, what is piao fang, movie success China
• Summary: 票房 (piàofáng) is the essential Chinese term for “box office,” referring to the total revenue generated from ticket sales for a film or performance. As China's film market has become one of the largest in the world, understanding an a movie's 票房 is key to discussing its success and cultural impact. This page will break down what piàofáng means, how to use it in conversation, and why it's such a hot topic in modern China.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): piàofáng
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 5
• Concise Definition: The total monetary earnings of a film, play, or other performance from ticket sales; the box office.
• In a Nutshell: Forget the physical ticket booth—票房 (piàofáng) is the financial number that determines if a movie is a hit or a flop. It's the total sum of money everyone spent on tickets. In China, where movies can make or lose hundreds of millions of dollars, the 票房 is the ultimate measure of a film's commercial success and a constant topic of conversation online and among friends.

• 票 (piào): Ticket, slip, or note. Think of this character as representing any kind of paper slip that grants you entry or has value, like a movie ticket or a train ticket.
• 房 (fáng): Room, house, or building. This character denotes a physical space or structure.
• Combined Meaning: The characters literally combine to mean “ticket room.” This originally referred to the physical place where tickets were sold and money was collected (the ticket booth). Over time, the meaning evolved to represent the *result* of what happens in that room: the total revenue collected. Today, it almost exclusively means the abstract concept of box office earnings.

The term 票房 (piàofáng) carries immense cultural weight in modern China, far more than “box office” does in the West, due to the explosive growth of the Chinese film industry. For decades, Hollywood dominated the global film market. The recent and rapid rise of the domestic Chinese film industry has made 票房 a matter of national pride. When a Chinese film like “The Wandering Earth” (流浪地球) or “Hi, Mom” (你好, 李焕英) out-earns a major Hollywood blockbuster within China, it's celebrated widely on social media as a sign of China's growing cultural strength and soft power. This contrasts with the American concept of “box office,” which is largely a topic for industry analysts and film enthusiasts. In China, 票房 figures are mainstream news. Real-time box office data is readily available to the public through apps like Maoyan (猫眼) and Taopiaopiao (淘票票), turning a film's financial performance into a live, nationwide spectator sport. Discussing a film's 票房 is as common as discussing the film's plot. It's a direct, quantifiable measure of a film's popularity and cultural resonance.

票房 is a high-frequency word used in both casual and formal contexts, especially when discussing entertainment.

• Discussing Movies: When chatting with friends, one of the first questions after “Have you seen the new movie?” is often “How's the box office?” (票房怎么样? - piàofáng zěnmeyàng?).
• News and Media: Headlines are constantly filled with phrases like “record-breaking box office” (破纪录的票房 - pò jìlù de piàofáng) or “dismal box office” (票房惨淡 - piàofáng cǎndàn).
• Social Media: Users on Weibo and WeChat will often post screenshots of a film's 票房 totals to celebrate its success or debate why another film failed.
• Connotation: The term itself is neutral, but it's almost always used with adjectives that make it positive or negative.
  • Positive: 票房大卖 (piàofáng dà mài) - box office big-seller/hit, 票房保证 (piàofáng bǎozhèng) - a “guarantee” for good box office (referring to a popular actor or director).
  • Negative: 票房毒药 (piàofáng dúyào) - “box office poison” (an actor whose films always flop), 票房失利 (piàofáng shīlì) - box office failure.

• Example 1:
  • 这部电影的票房非常高。
  • Pinyin: Zhè bù diànyǐng de piàofáng fēicháng gāo.
  • English: This movie's box office is very high.
  • Analysis: A simple, common statement about a film's financial success.
• Example 2:
  • 你看了《流浪地球》吗？听说票房破了五十亿！
  • Pinyin: Nǐ kànle “Liúlàng Dìqiú” ma? Tīngshuō piàofáng pòle wǔshí yì!
  • English: Did you see “The Wandering Earth”? I heard its box office broke 5 billion!
  • Analysis: This shows how 票房 is used in casual conversation to discuss specific, massive figures. 破了 (pòle) means “broke” a record.
• Example 3:
  • 很多影评人预测这部新片的票房会是今年的冠军。
  • Pinyin: Hěn duō yǐngpíngrén yùcè zhè bù xīnpiān de piàofáng huì shì jīnnián de guànjūn.
  • English: Many film critics predict this new film's box office will be this year's champion.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates the use of 票房 in a more formal, analytical context. 冠军 (guànjūn) means “champion.”
• Example 4:
  • 虽然口碑很好，但那部文艺片的票房却很惨淡。
  • Pinyin: Suīrán kǒubēi hěn hǎo, dàn nà bù wényìpiàn de piàofáng què hěn cǎndàn.
  • English: Although the word-of-mouth was good, that art film's box office was bleak.
  • Analysis: This highlights the important distinction between critical acclaim/reputation (口碑 kǒubēi) and commercial success (票房 piàofáng). 惨淡 (cǎndàn) means “bleak” or “dismal.”
• Example 5:
  • 春节档的总票房再创新高。
  • Pinyin: Chūnjié dàng de zǒng piàofáng zài chuàng xīngāo.
  • English: The total box office for the Spring Festival period has once again hit a new high.
  • Analysis: 春节档 (Chūnjié dàng) refers to the lucrative Chinese New Year movie season, a key term related to 票房.
• Example 6:
  • 这位导演的每部电影都是票房保证。
  • Pinyin: Zhè wèi dǎoyǎn de měi bù diànyǐng dōu shì piàofáng bǎozhèng.
  • English: Every film by this director is a box office guarantee.
  • Analysis: 票房保证 (piàofáng bǎozhèng) is a set phrase meaning “guaranteed success.”
• Example 7:
  • 我们去看了那部电影，也算是为票房做贡献了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen qù kànle nà bù diànyǐng, yě suànshì wèi piàofáng zuò gòngxiàn le.
  • English: We went to see that movie, you could say we contributed to the box office.
  • Analysis: A humorous and common way for individuals to talk about their participation in a film's success. 做贡献 (zuò gòngxiàn) means “to make a contribution.”
• Example 8:
  • 电影上映前，预售票房就已经过亿了。
  • Pinyin: Diànyǐng shàngyìng qián, yùshòu piàofáng jiù yǐjīng guò yì le.
  • English: Before the movie was even released, its pre-sale box office had already surpassed 100 million.
  • Analysis: Introduces the concept of 预售票房 (yùshòu piàofáng), or pre-sale box office, an important indicator of a film's anticipated success.
• Example 9:
  • 那位明星被网友称为“票房毒药”。
  • Pinyin: Nà wèi míngxīng bèi wǎngyǒu chēngwéi “piàofáng dúyào”.
  • English: That celebrity is called “box office poison” by netizens.
  • Analysis: Shows the negative colloquial usage. 票房毒药 (piàofáng dúyào) is a harsh but common term for an actor whose films consistently fail financially.
• Example 10:
  • 这部电影的全球票房表现也很出色。
  • Pinyin: Zhè bù diànyǐng de quánqiú piàofáng biǎoxiàn yě hěn chūsè.
  • English: This movie's global box office performance was also outstanding.
  • Analysis: Shows how 票房 can be modified with 全球 (quánqiú - global) to discuss international success.

• Mistake: Confusing 票房 (piàofáng) with 售票处 (shòupiàochù).
  • 票房 (piàofáng) is the abstract concept of revenue/earnings.
  • 售票处 (shòupiàochù) is the physical place where you buy a ticket, the “ticket office” or “ticket booth.”
  • Incorrect: 我要去票房买电影票。 (Wǒ yào qù piàofáng mǎi diànyǐngpiào.) - I'm going to the revenue to buy a ticket.
  • Correct: 我要去售票处买电影票。 (Wǒ yào qù shòupiàochù mǎi diànyǐngpiào.) - I'm going to the ticket booth to buy a ticket.
  • Correct: 这部电影的票房很高。(Zhè bù diànyǐng de piàofáng hěn gāo.) - This movie's box office (revenue) is very high.
• Nuance: It's more than just “Box Office.”
  • While “box office” is the best translation, 票房 is woven into the cultural fabric of modern China in a way that goes beyond a simple industry term. It represents competition, national pride, and the collective taste of the world's largest movie-going audience. Understanding this cultural layer is key to understanding its frequent and passionate use.

• 售票处 (shòupiàochù) - The physical ticket booth/office. The place, not the money.
• 电影票 (diànyǐngpiào) - Movie ticket. The item you buy that contributes to the 票房.
• 大片 (dàpiàn) - A blockbuster film; a big-budget, high-production movie expected to have a high 票房.
• 口碑 (kǒubēi) - “Word-of-mouth,” public reputation. A film can have a high 票房 but bad 口碑, or vice-versa. They are often discussed together.
• 上座率 (shàngzuòlǜ) - Seat occupancy rate. A high attendance rate is necessary for a high 票房.
• 排片 (páipiàn) - Film scheduling in theaters. The number of screenings a film gets directly impacts its potential 票房.
• 票房冠军 (piàofáng guànjūn) - Box office champion. The film with the highest earnings in a given period.
• 贺岁片 (hèsuìpiàn) - A “New Year's Celebration Film,” a genre of film released during the Chinese New Year period to compete for the holiday 票房.