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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'to dance' with 跳舞 (tiàowǔ)

    Actions & Events

    Structure

    跳 + (modifier) + 舞

    Explanation

    跳舞 (tiàowǔ) means "to dance," combining 跳 (to jump) and 舞 (dance). It is the most common general term for dancing in Chinese. It is a separable verb, so you can say 跳了一支舞 to mean "danced one dance."

    Examples

    • 她从小就喜欢跳舞，现在是专业舞者。

      tā cóngxiǎo jiù xǐhuān tiàowǔ, xiànzài shì zhuānyè wǔzhě.

      She has loved dancing since she was little and is now a professional dancer.

    • 我们昨晚在派对上跳了好几支舞。

      wǒmen zuówǎn zài pàiduì shàng tiào le hǎo jǐ zhī wǔ.

      We danced several dances at the party last night.

    • 奶奶每天早上去公园跳舞锻炼身体。

      nǎinai měitiān zǎoshang qù gōngyuán tiàowǔ duànliàn shēntǐ.

      Grandma goes to the park every morning to dance for exercise.

    Expressing 'to dance' with 跳舞 (tiàowǔ) | Chinese Grammar