改编 gǎibiān to adapt
to adapt; to rearrange; to revise
How to remember 改编: 改 alter + 编 to knit = to adapt.
Characters
How it is used
- To adapt/rearrange a work into a new form - 改编成电影 (gǎibiān chéng diànyǐng) adapt into a film, 由小说改编 (yóu xiǎoshuō gǎibiān) adapted from a novel.
- Specific to reworking existing creative material (novel→film, song arrangement); also reorganizing military units.
- Contrast 改造 (gǎizào, transform/remodel physically); 改编 is about creative/structural adaptation.