It seems that the Chinese term 藝人 can refer to many different jobs in the world of entertainment in the Chinese context. However, this may not be the case in English.

Both fortunately and unfortunately there isn’t a single English word to convey all the meanings of the Chinese term yi ren 藝人.

Perhaps the word that is closest in meaning to 藝人 is entertainer.

But as you will hear from both language experts and two entertainers, there are separate words to describe different jobs within the realm of entertainment. For example a singer, a dancer or a street performer can all be regarded as entertainers.

This programme explores the rich vocabulary of the English language.

To find out more about the various translations for yi ren 藝人 just put on your headphones and click the listen button.

Don’t forget, if you have a question about English, email it to questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. We may answer it on this programme.

Glossary 詞匯

the realm of entertainment 娛樂界

well represented 得到充分體現的

various 各種各樣的