舞

• Pinyin: wǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 舞 = ⺮ (grass) + 无 (none) + 舛 (feet) — depicts a person dancing with flowing movements

Meaning

Dance; to dance. A form of artistic expression through rhythmic body movements.

As a noun, refers to dance as an art form: 舞蹈 (dance), 芭蕾舞 (ballet), 广场舞 (square dancing). As a verb, means to dance or wave: 跳舞 (to dance), 舞剑 (to perform sword dance). Also used in 手舞足蹈 (dancing with joy).

Examples

1. 她从小就学习芭蕾舞。 She has been learning ballet since childhood.
2. 广场上有很多老人在跳舞。 There are many elderly people dancing in the square.
3. 他挥舞着旗帜为运动员加油。 He waved the flag to cheer for the athletes.

Usage Guide

Context: art, entertainment, exercise

Tone: expressive

Do Say

• 你会跳什么舞？(What kind of dance can you do?)
• 这支舞太美了！(This dance is so beautiful!)

Don't Say

• 说'我舞了'表示跳舞了 (Don't say 我舞了 to mean 'I danced' — say 我跳舞了; 舞 alone as a verb usually needs an object like 舞剑)

Origin & History

Pictograph showing a person with arms and legs extended, dancing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal