畢業舞會 / 毕业舞会
bìyè wǔhuì
To say prom in Chinese, use 畢業舞會 / 毕业舞会 (bìyè wǔhuì), literally graduation ball. If unsure, use 畢業舞會 / 毕业舞会. Wiktionary also lists 舞會 / 舞会 (wǔhuì).
Meaning: a formal ball (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 畢業舞會 / 毕业舞会 | bìyè wǔhuì |
| 舞會 / 舞会 | wǔhuì |
What does it mean word for word?
畢業 means graduation and 舞會 means a dance or ball.
Which one should you use?
舞會 / 舞会 (wǔhuì) alone simply means a dance or ball, so use the full term to make clear it is a graduation prom. 学生舞会, a student ball, is another way to put it.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is bìyè wǔhuì.
Did you know?
- The character 舞 in 舞會 / 舞会 began as a pictograph showing a person dancing with feathers or ribbons attached to their arms.
- While 畢業舞會 / 毕业舞会 is the correct translation, the concept of a 'prom' is not a native tradition in China, so the phrase is almost exclusively used when discussing Western movies or school experiences abroad.
- Because traditional Chinese celebrations focused on banquets over balls, older generations may perceive the use of 畢業舞會 / 毕业舞会 as a sign of Westernization.
Examples in context
- 你去参加明晚的舞会吗？Are you going to the dance party tomorrow night?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “prom” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
