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起舞 (qǐ wǔ) — (literary) to start dancing; to dance; (figurative) to be thrilled; to dance with joy

Definition

Literary/formal verb for 'to begin to dance,' used in poetry and narrative writing rather than everyday speech. In set phrases like 心花怒放 / 翩翩起舞, it carries a figurative 'to dance with joy' sense.

verb
(literary) to start dancingto dance(figurative) to be thrilledto dance with joy

Examples

  • ，起舞。
    Suí zhe yīn yuè, tā qīng yíng dì qǐ wǔ.
    With the music, she danced lightly.
  • ，起舞。
    Tīng dào zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi, tā gāo xìng dé xīn huā qǐ wǔ.
    Hearing the good news, he was so happy his heart danced with joy.
  • ，起舞。
    Gǔ rén zài jié rì zhōng zài gē zài wǔ, jìn qíng qǐ wǔ.
    Ancient people sang and danced during festivals, dancing to their hearts' content.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

起qǐstart
舞wǔdance

起 start and 舞 dance combine to describe beginning to dance or being moved to dance.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì起qǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

起 is made from 走 and 巳: 走 is the part connected with walking or running, and 巳 gives the sound.

Open 起 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
舛舛chuǎnsteps, feet in convergent direction
Sound part声符shēngfú
無
無wú舞wǔ
Same sound today

舞 combines 舛, showing feet in converging steps, with 無 above. 無 gave the sound and also preserved its older meaning of dancing, so the shape points to dancing.

Open 舞 →
Appears in
Dance & Performance

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