Chinese word

琴

Pronunciation

Pinyinqín

Meaning

  • nounzither

Example

琴的声音很美。qín de shēng yīn hěn měi

The sound of the zither is very beautiful.

Illustration for 琴 (zither)

More examples

她每天都练琴。tā měi tiān dōu liàn qín

She practices the zither every day.

Core concept

A stringed instrument, or the string-instrument element in a larger name.

Common phrases

  • 弹琴tán qín

    play the zither

  • 练琴liàn qín

    practice the zither

  • 钢琴gāng qín

    piano

Similar words

钢琴gāng qín: A large stringed instrument played from a keyboard as hammers strike its strings.
吉他jí tā: A stringed instrument played by plucking or strumming with the fingers or a pick.
小提琴xiǎo tí qín: A small stringed instrument played by moving a bow across its strings.
古筝gǔ zhēng: A Chinese zither set on a stand and played by plucking its many strings.

Definition in Chinese

在现代汉语中，“琴”既可泛指弦乐器，也常作为乐器名称的后缀或简称，出现在“钢琴”“提琴”等词中；单独使用时需靠语境判断具体指代。zài xiàn dài hàn yǔ zhōng qín jì kě fàn zhǐ xián yuè qì yě cháng zuò wéi yuè qì míng chēng de hòu zhuì huò jiǎn chēng chū xiàn zài gāng qín tí qín děng cí zhōng dān dú shǐ yòng shí xū kào yǔ jìng pàn duàn jù tǐ zhǐ dài

Word origin

琴 (qín, "zither") originally named a plucked string instrument and later broadened to refer to several string instruments or to form their names.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the standalone noun often leaves the exact instrument to context, while a modifier makes the reference specific.

Related words

Word lists with this word