TongTong
Sign in

脱衣舞 (tuō yī wǔ) — striptease (dance)

Definition

noun
striptease (dance)
Measure word · 场

Examples

  • 脱衣舞。
    Zhè jiā yè zǒng huì de tuō yī wǔ biǎo yǎn hěn shòu huān yíng.
    The striptease performance at this nightclub is very popular.
  • 脱衣舞，。
    Tā céng shì tiào tuō yī wǔ de wǔ zhě, hòu lái zhuǎn háng zuò le yǎn yuán.
    She used to be a striptease dancer, but later switched to acting.
  • 脱衣舞，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng shè jí tuō yī wǔ wén huà, yǐn qǐ le bù shǎo zhēng lùn.
    This film touches on striptease culture and sparked quite a bit of controversy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

脱衣take off clothes
脱tuōtake off衣yīclothes
动宾Verb + object
舞wǔdance

脱衣舞 combines 脱 'take off' and 衣 'clothes' with 舞 'dance' to describe a stripping 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 脫; 脱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì脫tuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脫 puts ⺼ (meat) beside 兌, which gives the sound; the simplified 脱 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 脱 →

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

The shape of 衣 comes from an outline of the chest and upper clothing.

Open 衣 →

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 & Performance5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.