电视 (diàn shì) literally means 'electric vision' — 电 (diàn) means 'electricity' or 'electric', and 视 (shì) means 'to see' or 'vision'. Together, they refer to the electronic device that receives and displays moving images and sound: a television set. It’s a common household appliance used for watching news, dramas, sports, and entertainment programs.

In everyday Chinese, 电视 is used both as a physical object ('Turn off the TV') and as a medium ('Watch TV'), much like the English word 'television'. It’s neutral in register — appropriate in casual conversation, formal writing, and media contexts. You’ll often see it in compound words like 电视机 (diàn shì jī, 'TV set') or 电视台 (diàn shì tái, 'TV station'), but 电视 alone is the standard, concise term.