能歌善舞 (néng gē shàn wǔ) — skilled in both singing and dancing; versatile in performing arts

Definition

A set phrase praising someone (often a woman or performer) as talented in both singing and dancing. The structure 能…善… ('good at… and good at…') is a common literary pattern for listing two skills.

idiom
skilled in both singing and dancingversatile in performing arts

Examples

  • 能歌善舞,。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù néng gē shàn wǔ, dà jiā dōu shuō tā yǒu yì shù tiān fù.
    She has been talented in both singing and dancing since childhood; everyone says she has artistic talent.
  • ,能歌善舞,。
    Nà wèi nǚ yǎn yuán bù jǐn yǎn jì hǎo, hái néng gē shàn wǔ, shēn shòu guān zhòng xǐ ài.
    That actress is not only good at acting but also skilled in singing and dancing, deeply loved by audiences.
  • ,能歌善舞。
    Wǎn huì shàng, yì qún néng gē shàn wǔ de shǎo shù mín zú gū niang biǎo yǎn le jīng cǎi de jié mù.
    At the evening party, a group of ethnic minority girls skilled in singing and dancing performed wonderful programs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

能歌able to sing
动宾Verb + object
善舞good at dancing
善shàngood at舞wǔdance
动宾Verb + object

能歌 says able to sing and 善舞 good at dancing, together praising versatile performance.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

能 is an old picture of a bear, showing two paws and a face with an open mouth.

Open 能 →

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
欠欠qiànblow
Sound part声符shēngfú
哥
哥gē歌gē
Same sound today

The shape 歌 uses 哥 for the sound and 欠, meaning blow. It came from a form of 哥 used for singing.

Open 歌 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

An earlier form of 善 joined 羊, a sheep linked with goodness or beauty, and 誩, described as a wrangle; the reference says this meaning link is hard to understand.

Open 善 →

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 →

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