手舞足蹈

Chinese

		hand; convenient; ‑er	to dance; to wield; to brandish	foot; to be sufficient	tread on; trample; stamp tread on; trample; stamp; fulfil
trad. (手舞足蹈)		手	舞	足	蹈
simp. #(手舞足蹈)		手	舞	足	蹈
Literally: “hands dance and feet trip”.

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, great preface (《詩經·大序》):

詩者，志之所之也，在心為志，發言為詩，情動於中，而形於言，言之不足，故嗟歎之，嗟歎之不足，故永歌之，永歌之不足，不知手之舞之、足之蹈之也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

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诗者，志之所之也，在心为志，发言为诗，情动于中，而形于言，言之不足，故嗟叹之，嗟叹之不足，故永歌之，永歌之不足，不知手之舞之、足之蹈之也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Shī zhě, zhì zhī suǒ zhī yě, zài xīn wéi zhì, fā yán wéi shī, qíng dòng yú zhōng, ér xíng yú yán, yán zhī bùzú, gù jiētàn zhī, jiētàn zhī bùzú, gù yǒng gē zhī, yǒng gē zhī bùzú, bùzhī shǒu zhī wǔ zhī, zú zhī dǎo zhī yě. [Pinyin]

Poetry is the product of earnest thought. Thought [cherished] in the mind becomes earnest; exhibited in words, it becomes poetry. The feelings move inwardly, and are embodied in words. When words are insufficient for them, recourse is had to sighs and exclamations. When sighs and exclamations are insufficient for them, recourse is had to the prolonged utterances of song. When those prolonged utterances of song are insufficient for them, unconsciously the hands begin to move and the feet to dance.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shǒuwǔzúdǎo, shǒuwǔzúdào

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄡˇ ㄨˇ ㄗㄨˊ ㄉㄠˇ, ㄕㄡˇ ㄨˇ ㄗㄨˊ ㄉㄠˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sau² mou⁵ zuk¹ dou⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shǒuwǔzúdǎo [Phonetic: shóuwǔzúdǎo]
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄡˇ ㄨˇ ㄗㄨˊ ㄉㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shǒuwǔzúdǎo
    • Wade–Giles: shou³-wu³-tsu²-tao³
    • Yale: shǒu-wǔ-dzú-dǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shoouwuutzwudao
    • Palladius: шоууцзудао (šouuczudao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su³⁵ tɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shǒuwǔzúdào [Phonetic: shóuwǔzúdào]
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄡˇ ㄨˇ ㄗㄨˊ ㄉㄠˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shǒuwǔzúdào
    • Wade–Giles: shou³-wu³-tsu²-tao⁴
    • Yale: shǒu-wǔ-dzú-dàu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shoouwuutzwudaw
    • Palladius: шоууцзудао (šouuczudao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ u²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡su³⁵ tɑʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sau² mou⁵ zuk¹ dou⁶
    • Yale: sáu móuh jūk douh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sau² mou⁵ dzuk⁷ dou⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: seo² mou⁵ zug¹ dou⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐu̯³⁵ mou̯¹³ t͡sʊk̚⁵ tou̯²²/

Idiom

手舞足蹈

1. dancing and gesticulating for joy
2. (traditional Chinese medicine) involuntary movements of the limbs; convulsions, hemiballismus, chorea, athetosis or myoclonus

Related terms

• 跳舞 (tiàowǔ)
• 舞蹈 (wǔdǎo)