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乐器 (yuè qì) — musical instrument

Definition

乐器 is the general word for any musical instrument. 琴 refers specifically to string or keyboard instruments (like the guqin or piano); 乐曲 is the piece of music played, not the instrument itself.

noun
musical instrument
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 乐器。
    Wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù xǐ huan xué xí gè zhǒng yuè qì.
    I have loved learning all kinds of musical instruments since I was young.
  • 乐器。
    Tā měi tiān dōu huì liàn xí yí gè xiǎo shí de yuè qì.
    He practices musical instruments for an hour every day.
  • 乐器。
    Zhè jiā shāng diàn mài hěn duō chuán tǒng de yuè qì.
    This store sells many traditional musical instruments.

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.

乐lèmusic
器qìinstrument

乐 points to music and 器 to an instrument, so together they name a musical instrument.

Characters in this word

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.

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.

Open 乐 →

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

The origin of 器 is uncertain; one traditional account reads the whole shape as a scene of guarding over four vessels.

Open 器 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Music

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