踊

A phono-semantic compound:

足 (foot) — semantic component

甬 (yǒng) — phonetic component

This structure clearly associates the character with movement of the feet, while 甬 supplies the pronunciation.

The original meaning of 踊 is jumping or leaping with the feet, especially repeated or rhythmic motion. From this sense, the meaning naturally expanded to dancing, where repeated jumping and stepping form patterned movement.

용약 (踊躍) — to leap with joy; to act enthusiastically

무용 (舞踊) — dance (with 舞 emphasizing the art, 踊 the movement)

踊 often implies joyful or energetic motion, not random movement.

In East Asian tradition, dance and jumping are closely tied to:

- ritual

- celebration

- communal emotion

Semantic field (related characters):

跳 — to jump, hop

躍 — to leap, spring upward

舞 — to dance (emphasizes form and gesture)

踴 — energetic leaping, uprising

Classical citations:

《史記》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「民皆踊躍」

“The people all leapt with joy.”

《漢書》 (Book of Han)

「擊鼓而踊」

“They beat the drums and danced.”

These examples show early metaphorical use connected to collective joy and ritual movement.

踴 (U+8E34) is a closely related variant that uses 勇 (brave; vigorous) as the phonetic component instead of 甬.

Semantically, 踴 emphasizes energetic, forceful leaping, often with connotations of bravery, vigor, or sudden uprising.

In many historical and literary texts, 踊 and 踴 are used interchangeably.