管弦乐 (guǎn xián yuè) — orchestral music | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

orchestral music

Measure word · 首

Examples

管弦乐。
Jīn wǎn de yīn yuè huì yǎn zòu de dōu shì gǔ diǎn guǎn xián yuè.
Tonight's concert is all classical orchestral music.
管弦乐，。
Tā cóng xiǎo jiù xǐ huan tīng guǎn xián yuè, tè bié shì bèi duō fēn de zuò pǐn.
He has liked listening to orchestral music since he was a child, especially Beethoven's works.
管弦乐。
Zhè chǎng guǎn xián yuè yǎn chū xū yào liù shí duō wèi yuè shǒu.
This orchestral performance requires more than sixty musicians.

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.

管弦wind and string

管guǎnpipe/wind弦xiánstring

联合Coordinate

Music (乐) of 管 (pipes/winds) and 弦 (strings).

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.

竹官管

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

官

官guān管guǎn

Same sound today

管 has 竹 (bamboo) on top to show it relates to bamboo, and 官 gives its sound.

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

弓玄弦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

玄

玄xuán弦xián

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

弦 uses 弓 (bow) to show what it is about and 玄 to show how it is pronounced.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

絲絲sīstring
木木mùwood

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

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