[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Literature-and-Education # 舞 wǔ dance ## Components [[一 yī]] [[一 (yī)]] [[丨 (gǔn)]] [[舛 (chuǎn)]] ## Meaning Today, the character "舞 (wǔ)" still primarily means "dance." It retains its ancient connotation of movement and joy expressed through rhythmic bodily motion. Additionally, it can metaphorically refer to any kind of lively or dynamic activity, such as "政治舞台" (political stage) or "舞动" (to sway or flutter). ## History The character "舞 (wǔ)" depicts the scene of dancing. In ancient times, people stood with their feet in opposite directions, each holding a cow's tail, joyfully dancing. The original form of the character lacked the "外" component but featured "無." Later, "無" was repurposed to represent negation, so "外" was added below to distinguish it and indicate dancing with feet. Thus, "舞" symbolizes dancing, capturing the essence of movement and joyous expression through dance. ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[舞 ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ![[舞 bronce.svg]] ### Seal Script ? ### Clerical Script ![[舞 cle.svg]] ### Regular Script ![[舞 reg.svg]]