芭蕾

• Pinyin: bā lěi
• Hanzi breakdown: 芭 = 艹 (grass) + 巴 (phonetic); 蕾 = 艹 + 雷 (phonetic), both phonetic

Meaning

Ballet (the dance form).

A phonetic transliteration of 'ballet.' Refers to the classical Western dance form. Often used in compounds like 芭蕾舞 (ballet dance) or 芭蕾舞剧 (ballet performance).

Examples

1. 她从五岁就开始学芭蕾，现在已经是专业舞者了。 She started learning ballet at age five and is now a professional dancer.
2. 天鹅湖是世界上最著名的芭蕾舞剧之一。 Swan Lake is one of the most famous ballets in the world.
3. 芭蕾需要多年的苦练才能跳好。 Ballet requires years of hard practice to master.

Usage Guide

Context: arts, everyday

Tone: cultural

Do Say

• 她是芭蕾舞演员。(She's a ballet dancer.)
• 这出芭蕾太精彩了。(This ballet performance was amazing.)

Don't Say

• 把现代舞说成'芭蕾' (Don't call modern dance 芭蕾 — they're different dance forms)

Origin & History

Phonetic transliteration of the French word 'ballet.' 芭 and 蕾 are chosen for their sounds.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal