笙 (shēng) — sheng (Chinese reed-pipe wind instrument)

Definition

noun

sheng (Chinese reed-pipe wind instrument)

Measure word · 支

Easily confused

笙。
Tā zhèng zài chuī shēng.
He is playing the sheng.
笙。
Wǒ xǐ huan tīng shēng de shēng yīn.
I like listening to the sound of the sheng.
笙。
Tā xué shēng xué le sān nián.
She has studied the sheng for three years.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

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

竹生笙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

生

Same sound today

笙 has 竹, meaning bamboo, and 生, which gives the sound.