In Beijing opera, there are four roles: the male and female roles, the painted-face role, and the comedic role. Every role has its own specific brands.

Lao Sheng and Xiao Sheng

The sheng (male role) is divided into lao sheng and xiao sheng: The former is a mature, middle-aged man who always represents an emperor or a decent man, while the latter portrays a young man.

Qing Yi, Wu Dan, Hua Dan,and Lao Dan

The dan (female role) is divided into qing yi, wu dan, and hua dan, respectively representing: a middle-aged woman who always acts as a Mrs or Miss from a noble family; a woman who can fight; and a young girl who serves as a maid.

The jing (painted-face role) means all kinds of painted-faces and acts as the male role that has a particular personality or appearance.

The mo role also belongs to the lao sheng category, except that he is much older and a scatterbrain with a low social status. In this role, the actor puts a small dot of whitening on the nose when putting on make-up. He is commonly called a clown due to the besmirched, multicolored, clown face that is generally known as "three painted-faces."

The chou (comic face which means clown) always acts as a wise and funny folk chivalrous man, or a man who has low social status.