Chaozhou Opera
/tʃaʊˈdʒoʊ ˈɒpərə/noun
A traditional Chinese opera form from Chaozhou and the surrounding Chaoshan region of southeastern Guangdong.
Did you know?Chaozhou Opera is traditionally associated with distinctive singing, finely stylized gestures, martial choreography, and historically with glove puppetry and ceremonial performance.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*op-
“To work or produce; the reconstructed root behind Latin opus, “work.””
Classical Latin
Latin
opus
“Work, labor, task, or artistic creation.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
opera
“Works or labors; the plural of opus, later used for artistic works.”
16th Century
Italian
opera
“A work, especially a musical or dramatic work; the term developed into the name of the sung theatrical genre.”
17th Century
English
opera
“A staged musical drama; English adopted the Italian theatrical term.”
17th–19th Centuries
Chinese
潮州戏 / 潮剧
“Chaozhou theatrical performance; 潮州 means “Tide Prefecture,” while 戏 or 剧 means drama or theatrical performance.”
Modern English
English
Chaozhou opera
“The regional Chinese opera tradition associated with Chaozhou, also known as Teochew opera.”
Explore more surprising origins