Definitions
chime stones, ancient percussion instrument made of stone or jade pieces hung in a row and struck as a xylophone
Etymology
Depicts a hand striking a musical stone chime with a stick.
About
The character "磬" is structured as a pictophonetic compound with the semantic component "石" meaning stone and the phonetic component "殸" associated with sound. Etymologically, it represented a percussion instrument crafted from stone or jade, used in ancient ceremonial music. Its primary meaning has always been this stone chime, though in classical Chinese the character occasionally conveyed the sense of exhaustion, a meaning later orthographically distinguished by the character "罄". The traditional form "磬" maintains the compositional clarity of its elements.
Etymology Hide
