弦乐 (xián yuè) — string music; music for string instruments

Definition

noun

string musicmusic for string instruments

弦乐。
Tā zuì xǐ huan xián yuè.
He likes string music best.
弦乐。
Zhè shǒu qǔ zi shì wèi xián yuè yuè duì xiě de.
This piece was written for a string orchestra.
弦乐。
xián yuè De yīn sè fēi cháng róu hé yōu měi.
The tone of string instruments is very soft and beautiful.

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.

弦 means string and 乐 means music; together they describe music played on stringed instruments.

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.

弓玄弦

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

玄

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.

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