八佾の舞

Japanese

Kanji in this term
八	佾	舞
やつら		まい Grade: S
Grade: 1	Hyōgai
jukujikun		kun'yomi

Etymology

Attested in the Nihon Shoki (720 CE).

Derived from 八(や)つ (yatsu, eight) + 等(ら) (-ra, pluralizing suffix) + 舞(まい) (mai, dancing). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

The 八佾 spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓), borrowed from Chinese.

Noun

八佾(やつら)の舞(まい) • (yatsura no mai) ^{←やつらのまひ (yaturanomafi)?}

1. (historical, dance) bayi: an ancient Chinese dance, originally presented to emperors during sacrificial rites, performed by 64 people (in 8 groups of 8) accompanied to 雅(が)楽(がく) (gagaku, “yayue”) music

   Synonym: 八佾 (hachiitsu)