About
The character "瑟" is a phono-semantic compound, with its top component 玨 (two pieces of jade) likely serving as a semantic indicator suggesting something fine or perhaps even a jade-like sound, while the bottom component 必 historically functioned as a phonetic hint. Its primary and original meaning refers to the se, a large ancient Chinese plucked zither with numerous strings, which was a prominent instrument in early ritual and court music. From this concrete noun, the character's meaning broadened through associative metaphor to describe related auditory and sensory phenomena, most notably the rustling or sighing sound of the wind, as well as a state of trembling or shivering, effectively capturing a quality of faint, resonant vibration akin to the instrument's strings. This semantic extension from a specific object to abstract qualities of sound and physical sensation represents the core of its lexical evolution, while the character's graphical form has remained largely consistent.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
冬天里他瑟瑟发抖。
小狗在角落里瑟缩着。
古代乐器有琴和瑟。
秋风瑟瑟树叶飘落。
景色显得十分萧瑟。
他看到恐怖画面后全身瑟瑟发抖。
她的声音带着一丝瑟缩的恐惧。
在萧瑟的秋风中他瑟缩着前行心里满是瑟瑟的凉意。