跳舞

• Pinyin: tiào wǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 跳 = 足 (foot) + 兆 (omen, phonetic); 舞 = originally a pictograph of a person dancing with sleeves

Meaning

To dance. The general term for performing dance movements, whether for fun, exercise, or artistic performance.

The most common and versatile word for dancing in Chinese. It covers all forms of dance — ballroom, folk, modern, and casual dancing. Often used as a hobby or activity. The related noun form is 舞蹈 for more formal or artistic contexts.

Examples

1. 她每天晚上都去公园跳舞。 She goes to the park to dance every evening.
2. 你会跳舞吗？我可以教你。 Can you dance? I can teach you.
3. 他们在舞台上跳舞跳得非常好。 They danced wonderfully on the stage.

Usage Guide

Context: entertainment, hobbies, social

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我们一起去跳舞吧！(Let's go dancing together!)
• 奶奶每天早上在广场跳舞。(Grandma dances in the square every morning.)

Don't Say

• 他在舞台上跳了一个舞蹈。(Saying 跳舞蹈 is redundant — say 跳舞 or 表演舞蹈. Since 跳舞 is already a verb-object phrase, don't add another object after it.)

Origin & History

A verb-object compound: 跳 (to jump/leap) + 舞 (dance). The combination captures the physical nature of dance as rhythmic, leaping movement.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal