跳舞
tiàowǔ/tʰi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ u²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
To dance in Chinese is 跳舞 (tiàowǔ).
The verb 跳舞 is used to describe the act of moving rhythmically to music. It can also be used as a noun to refer to the act of dancing.
Meaning: move rhythmically to music (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The verb 跳舞 consists of the verb 跳, meaning 'to jump' and the noun 舞, meaning 'dance'.
Which one should you use?
While 跳舞 is the common verb for the act of dancing, 舞蹈 is a more formal noun referring to 'dance' as an art form or a specific choreographed piece. Both тёву and винон can also function as nouns meaning 'movements to music'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The forms тёву and винон are used in Dungan.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
跳舞 is a separable verb (a verb-object construction), which means you cannot place an object directly after it. Instead, you must insert modifiers between the two parts, such as 跳了一场舞, 'danced a dance'.
How do you pronounce it?
tiàowǔ
Did you know?
- The character 舞 is a pictograph that originally depicted a person wearing a feathered garment and dancing.
- In public squares across China, you will often see 'square dancing' or 广场舞, where large groups of middle-aged women perform synchronized routines to loud music.
- In traditional Chinese opera, dancing is rarely a standalone act but is integrated into the 'movement' of a character to signal their emotional state or social status.
Examples in context
- 你會跳舞嗎？Do you know how to dance?The first sentence is useful for asking if someone knows how to dance using 跳舞.Tatoeba #3748352 by egg0073, translation #2059963 by Spamster
- 我想要跳舞。I'd like to dance.The second sentence expresses a desire to dance using 跳舞.Tatoeba #4844732 by pig8322, translation #4836891 by CK
- 我不能跳舞。I can't dance.The third sentence expresses an inability to dance using 跳舞.Tatoeba #12278111 by FishlandicFishy, translation #1951450 by CK
- 他在学校学习舞蹈。(Tā zài xuéxiào xuéxí wǔdǎo.)He studies dance at school.
- 我们要去舞会跳舞。(Wǒmen yào qù wǔhuì tiào wǔ.)We're going to the dance party to dance.
- 我最喜欢跳舞了！(Wǒ zuì xǐhuān tiào wǔ le!)I love dancing the most!
- 他特别擅长街舞，经常跳得很好。(Tā tèbié shàncháng jiēwǔ, jīngcháng tiào dé hěn hǎo.)He's particularly skilled in street dance and often dances very well.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiao Wen and Wei are at a party.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen伟，你想跟我一起跳舞吗？Wěi, nǐ xiǎng gēn wǒ yīqǐ tiàowǔ ma?Wei, do you want to dance with me?
- 伟 Wei我很想，但我不太会跳舞。Wǒ hěn xiǎng, dàn wǒ bù tài huì tiàowǔ.I'd love to, but I'm not very good at dancing.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen没关系，我们可以慢慢跳舞。Méiguānxì, wǒmen kěyǐ mànman tiàowǔ.It's okay, we can dance slowly.
- 伟 Wei好，那我们现在就去跳舞吧。Hǎo, nà wǒmen xiànzài jiù qù tiàowǔ ba.Okay, let's go dance now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dance” translations and entries 跳舞, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
