民乐 (mín yuè) — Chinese traditional instrumental music; folk instrumental music using traditional Chinese instruments

Definition

Chinese traditional instrumental music — folk music played on instruments like 二胡 and 古筝. 民族音乐 is the broader term including vocal and regional traditions.

noun
Chinese traditional instrumental musicfolk instrumental music using traditional Chinese instruments

Examples

  • 民乐，。
    Wǒ yé ye hěn xǐ huan tīng mín yuè, yóu qí shì èr hú yǎn zòu de qǔ zi.
    My grandfather really likes listening to Chinese traditional instrumental music, especially pieces played on the erhu.
  • 民乐。
    Zhè chǎng mín yuè yīn yuè huì xī yǐn le hěn duō wài guó rén.
    This traditional Chinese instrumental music concert attracted many foreigners.
  • 民乐。
    Xué xí mín zú yuè qì shì liǎo jiě mín yuè de hǎo fāng fǎ.
    Learning traditional Chinese instruments is a good way to understand 民乐.

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.

民mínpeople
乐lèmusic

民 (people) narrows 乐 (music) to traditional folk music.

Characters in this word

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

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.

Open 民 →

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 →

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