合声 (hé shēng) — harmony (in music); mixed or blended sound

Definition

A music term for 'harmony' — the layered blending of voices or instruments into a single sound. Unlike a single melody (旋律), it specifically refers to how multiple parts sound together.

noun
harmony (in music)mixed or blended sound
Easily confused

Examples

  • 合声。
    Zhè shǒu gē qǔ de hé shēng fēi cháng yōu měi.
    The harmony in this song is very beautiful.
  • 合声。
    Tā néng biàn bié chū bù tóng de hé shēng.
    He can distinguish different mixed sounds.
  • 合声。
    Yuè duì zhèng zài tiáo zhěng hé shēng píng héng.
    The band is adjusting the balance of blended sounds.

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.

合héblend
声shēngsound

“合” means blended or combined, and “声” is sound.

Characters in this word

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

合 shows 亼 and 口 arranged as two mouths speaking together.

Open 合 →

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.

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.

Open 声 →

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