琶

pá

巴 + 玨

Definitions

pá see 琵琶, pipa lute

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 玨 represents the meaning and 巴 represents the sound.

Semantic: 玨 Phonetic: 巴

About

The character 琶 is a phono-semantic compound, combining the semantic radical 玨, depicting two pieces of jade strung together and often linked to stringed instruments, with the phonetic component 巴. It appears almost exclusively in the word 琵琶, which refers to a traditional Chinese pear-shaped, four-stringed plucked lute. The radical 玨 connects to the plucking of strings, while 巴 indicates the pronunciation. In modern Chinese, this character retains its specific association with this instrument.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她在弹琵琶。

Tā zài tán pípa.

She is playing the pipa.

我喜欢听琵琶音乐。

Wǒ xǐhuān tīng pípa yīnyuè.

I like listening to pipa music.

这位音乐家擅长演奏琵琶。

Zhè wèi yīnyuèjiā shàncháng yǎnzòu pípa.

This musician is skilled at playing the pipa.

音乐会上有琵琶独奏。

Yīnyuèhuì shàng yǒu pípa dúzòu.

There is a pipa solo at the concert.

琵琶的声音非常优美。

Pípa de shēngyīn fēicháng yōuměi.

The sound of the pipa is very beautiful.

中国古代就有琵琶这种乐器。

Zhōngguó gǔdài jiù yǒu pípa zhè zhǒng yuèqì.

There has been the instrument pipa since ancient China.

她弹奏的琵琶曲令人陶醉。

Tā tánzòu de pípa qǔ lìng rén táozuì.

The pipa piece she plays is enchanting.

虽然琵琶源于西域，但早已融入中国文化。

Suīrán pípa yuán yú xīyù, dàn zǎo yǐ róngrù Zhōngguó wénhuà.

Although the pipa originated from the Western Regions, it has long been integrated into Chinese culture.

Related Characters

Component: 巴

Component: 玨

琶