琴

琹

qín

今 + 玨

HSK 3.0Level 4

Frequency#1701

Definitions

qín (noun) guqin (ancient Chinese zither); musical instrument

Etymology

The top component is a pictograph of a zither-like stringed musical instrument. 今 is a sound component.

About

The character 琴, representing stringed musical instruments, is etymologically a phono-semantic compound where the upper component derives from 玨, symbolizing paired jades or strings and appearing in modern form as two 王 characters, combined with the lower phonetic component 今. This structure originally depicted an instrument with strings stretched over a resonator. While 琴 initially referred specifically to the ancient guqin, its meaning broadened over centuries to encompass various stringed instruments, including those adapted from other cultures.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢弹钢琴。

Wǒ xǐhuān tán gāngqín.

I like playing the piano.

他在学习拉小提琴。

Tā zài xuéxí lā xiǎo tí qín.

He is learning to play the violin.

钢琴的声音很优美。

Gāngqín de shēngyīn hěn yōuměi.

The piano's sound is very elegant.

明天我要去琴房练琴。

Míngtiān wǒ yào qù qínfáng liàn qín.

Tomorrow I will go to the music room to practice the instrument.

因为喜欢音乐，所以他买了钢琴。

Yīnwèi xǐhuān yīnyuè, suǒyǐ tā mǎile gāngqín.

Because he likes music, he bought a piano.

她不仅会弹钢琴，还会拉小提琴。

Tā bùjǐn huì tán gāngqín, hái huì lā xiǎo tí qín.

She not only can play the piano, but also can play the violin.

每当听到琴声，他就会想起童年的回忆。

Měi dāng tīng dào qín shēng, tā jiù huì xiǎng qǐ tóngnián de huíyì.

Whenever he hears the sound of the instrument, he recalls childhood memories.

为了提高钢琴水平，他每天坚持练习两小时。

Wèile tígāo gāngqín shuǐpíng, tā měitiān jiānchí liànxí liǎng xiǎoshí.

In order to improve his piano skills, he practices for two hours every day persistently.

Related Characters

Component: 今

Component: 玨

琴