舞

• Ritual/Formal: Choreographed movements for religious or state purposes, emphasizing correct posture and alignment over artistic expression.
• Brandishing/Waving: The rhythmic waving of an object—typically a weapon (sword, spear), banner, or tassel—often used in military contexts for signaling, coordination, or intimidation.
• Performance/Entertainment: Dancing for celebration, leisure, or erotic appeal.

• Verb: Intransitive ("to dance"); Transitive ("to brandish" or "wave"). The transitive use implies a specific swinging motion rather than merely holding an object.
• Noun: Refers to the dance itself or, by extension, the dancers.

• Physical Focus: Contrast with 蹈 (to tread/stamp). While 蹈 focuses on the feet and the ground, 舞 typically implies movement of the upper body and arms.
• Semantic Clusters: When paired with 歌 (song) and 樂 (music), it generally denotes the performing arts. In contexts of mourning or ancestral worship, the "ritual" sense is prioritized.
• Metaphorical Use: In later literary texts, may describe the flickering or swaying movement of inanimate objects (e.g., flames, leaves).

• Variants: U+26400 is a semantic variant.

// Philology: Tang-period reading //miǒ; Fanqie 文甫.