和声 (hé shēng) — harmony (in music) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

In music, 和声 (héshēng) is 'harmony' — the combination of notes and chords played or sung together. It names the field/technique, not a single chord (和弦).

noun

harmony (in music)

Examples

和声。
Zhè shǒu qǔ zi de hé shēng xiě dé fēi cháng yōu měi.
The harmony of this piece is beautifully written.
和声。
Tā zài yīn yuè xué yuàn zhuān mén yán jiū hé shēng lǐ lùn.
He specializes in harmony theory at the music conservatory.
和声。
Hé chàng shí gè gè shēng bù yào bǎo chí hé shēng tǒng yī.
During choral singing, each voice part should maintain unified harmony.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

和héharmonious

和" (harmonious) + "声" (sound) names harmonious sound.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

禾口和

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

禾

禾hé和hé

Same sound today

和 pairs 禾, which gives the sound, with 口 (mouth), the meaning part; the reference connects this shape to harmony.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

殸耳聲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

耳耳ěrear

Sound part声符shēngfú

殸

殸qìng聲shēng

Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

Appears in

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