飘舞 (piāo wǔ) — to dance and flutter (in the wind)

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to dance and flutter' — light things carried and twirled by the wind (snow, leaves, flags). Conveys graceful, airborne motion; more poetic than 飘 ('to float/drift').

verb
to dance and flutter (in the wind)

Examples

  • 飘舞。
    Xuě huā zài kōng zhōng piāo wǔ.
    Snowflakes dance in the sky.
  • 飘舞。
    Shù yè zài fēng zhōng qīng qīng piāo wǔ.
    Leaves gently dance in the wind.
  • 飘舞，。
    Cǎi qí yíng fēng piāo wǔ, shí fēn měi lì.
    The colorful flags flutter in the wind, very beautiful.

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.

飘piāodrift
舞wǔdance

飘 is drifting and 舞 is dancing, so the meaning is to flutter and dance in the wind.

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 飄; 飘 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
風風fēngwind
Sound part声符shēngfú
票
票piào飄piāo
Same sound today

The traditional form 飄 uses 票 for the sound and 風 for wind; the simplified 飘 is a shorthand.

Open 飘 →

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 →

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