唱工 (chàng gōng) — singing technique (in Chinese opera)

Definition

Singing technique in Chinese opera, especially Peking opera — the vocalist's vocal skill and breath control, distinct from 做 (acting) and 打 (acrobatics).

noun
singing technique (in Chinese opera)

Examples

  • 唱工，。
    Zhè wèi yǎn yuán de chàng gōng fēi cháng hǎo, měi yí duàn chàng dōu dǎ dòng guān zhòng.
    This performer's singing technique is excellent — every aria moves the audience.
  • 唱工。
    Jīng jù yǎn yuán cóng xiǎo jiù yào liàn xí chàng gōng hé zuò dǎ.
    Peking opera performers have to practice singing technique and acting/acrobatics since childhood.
  • 唱工。
    Tā bài le yí wèi míng shī lái tí gāo zì jǐ de chàng gōng.
    He apprenticed under a famous master to improve his singing technique.

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.

唱chàngsing
工gōngwork

唱 refers to singing and 工 names the trained work of it.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
昌
昌chāng唱chàng
Same sound today

The 口 part points to the mouth, while 昌 shows how the character is pronounced.

Open 唱 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 工 is a picture of a bladed tool used to plow ground or mark a border; some read it as a carpenter's square.

Open 工 →

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