电视剧
diàn shì jù · HSK 3
TV play
📺 电视剧 = 电视 (television) + 剧 (drama/play)
电 means electric, 视 means to view, together 电视 = television. 剧 means drama or theatrical play. So 电视剧 literally decomposes as television-drama, i.e. a TV series or soap opera.
电 — rain 雨 + lightning tail 电
Originally a pictograph of lightning streaking from a cloud, written 電 with the rain radical 雨 on top. The bottom 电 depicts the zigzag flash itself. The simplified form 电 drops 雨 and keeps just the lightning shape. Meaning extended from 'lightning' to 'electricity' in modern usage.
剧 — 豦 (tiger+pig) + 刂 knife radical
Originally written 劇, a phono-semantic compound: 豦 (jù, a fierce beast) gives the sound, while 刂 (knife) suggests intensity or cutting action. The original meaning was 'severe' or 'intense,' later extended to 'drama/play' since theatrical performances were dramatic and intense. 剧 is the simplified form.