芭蕾舞
bālěiwǔ
The English phrase 'ballet' is translated into Chinese as 芭蕾舞 (bālěiwǔ). If unsure, use 芭蕾舞. Wiktionary also lists 舞劇 / 舞剧 (wǔjù).
Meaning: form of dance (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 芭蕾舞 | bālěiwǔ |
| 舞劇 / 舞剧 | wǔjù |
芭蕾舞 is used to refer to the art form of ballet. If you are referring to a specific balletic work or stage production, you may use 舞劇 / 舞剧 to mean 'ballet drama'. For people involved in the art, 芭蕾舞演员 refers to a ballet performer and 芭蕾舞教练 refers to a ballet instructor.
What does it mean word for word?
芭蕾舞 is a combination of the transliteration for 'ballet' (芭蕾) and the word for 'dance' (舞), literally meaning 'ballet dance'.
Which one should you use?
芭蕾舞 refers to the dance form itself, while 舞劇 / 舞剧 is used when referring to a specific balletic production or stage work.
How do you pronounce it?
bālěiwǔ
Did you know?
- In China, 芭蕾舞 is often associated with the 'Red Detachment of Women', a famous revolutionary ballet that blends classical technique with political storytelling.
- The term 芭蕾 uses the character 蕾, which usually means 'flower bud' in other contexts, adding a poetic, floral visual to the transliteration.
- The word for 'ballet instructor' is 芭蕾舞教练, using the word 教练 which is the same term used for a sports coach.
Examples in context
- 我和丈夫周日要去四季演艺中心，去看国家芭蕾舞团表演的芭蕾舞剧《卡门》。My husband and I are going on Sunday to see the ballet, Carmen, performed by the National Ballet Company at the Four Seasons Centre.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 芭蕾舞 when referring to a performance by a ballet company.Tatoeba #13894727 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #2475816 by Keith
- 我刚刚看了一场芭蕾演出I just watched a ballet performance.
- 她从小就开始学习芭蕾舞。Tā cóngxiǎo jiù kāishǐ xuéxí bālěiwǔ.She has been learning ballet since she was a child.
- 这场芭蕾舞非常精彩。Zhè chǎng bālěiwǔ fēicháng jīngcǎi.This ballet performance is wonderful.
Example conversation
Wei and Jiayi are discussing their weekend plans.
- 伟 Wei佳怡，你想去看芭蕾舞吗？Jiāyí, nǐ xiǎng qù kàn bālěiwǔ ma?Jiayi, do you want to go see a ballet?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想去，票还买得到吗？wǒ xiǎng qù, piào hái mǎide dào ma?I want to, are tickets still available?
- 伟 Wei是的，我刚才买了两张票。shì de, wǒ gāngcái mǎile liǎng zhāng piào.Yes, I just bought two tickets.
- 佳怡 Jiayi太好了，谢谢你，伟！tài hǎole, xièxiè nǐ, Wěi!Great, thank you, Wei!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ballet” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
