起舞

qǐwǔ

verb #11,539

Meanings

音乐响起，大家纷纷起舞。

Yīnyuè xiǎngqǐ, dàjiā fēnfēn qǐwǔ.

When the music started, everyone began to dance.

蝴蝶在花丛中翩翩起舞。

Húdié zài huācóng zhōng piānpiānqǐwǔ.

Butterflies danced gracefully among the flowers.

起舞 is literary/formal. In casual speech, people say 跳舞. 翩翩起舞 (to dance gracefully) is a common four-character expression.

culture

闻鸡起舞 (to rise and practice at cock-crow) is a famous idiom about diligence, from the story of 祖逖 practicing swordsmanship at dawn.

起 qǐ

舞 wǔ