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跳舞 (tiào wǔ) — to dance

Definition

The everyday verb 'to dance' (social, recreational, or performance). Compared with the noun 舞蹈 (dance as an art form), 跳舞 focuses on the activity itself, not the art.

verb
to dance

Examples

  • 跳舞。
    Tā měi tiān tiào wǔ.
    He dances every day.
  • 。
    Wǒ men tiào le yí gè wǔ.
    We danced a dance.
  • 跳舞。
    Tā bú huì tiào wǔ.
    She doesn't know how to dance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

跳tiàoperform
舞wǔdance

“跳” (perform) and “舞” (dance) describe performing a 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
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào跳tiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

跳 pairs 足 (foot) with 兆, which supplies the sound; the foot part shows the action is done with the feet.

Open 跳 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 2HSK 2.0 Level 21000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsDance & Performance2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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