琵琶 (pí pa) — pipa, Chinese plucked lute

Definition

A traditional Chinese four-stringed plucked lute, held upright on the lap. It pairs with the verb 弹 (tán) for 'play' — say 弹琵琶, not *打琵琶*.

noun

pipaChinese plucked lute

Measure word · 把

琵琶。
Tā xǐ huan tán pí pa.
He enjoys playing the pipa.
琵琶。
Zhè bǎ pí pa shì tā yé ye liú gěi tā de.
This pipa was left to him by his grandfather.
琵琶。
Wǒ zài yīn yuè tīng tīng guò pí pa de dú zòu.
I heard a pipa solo at the concert hall.

Single-morpheme word

构词法gòucífǎ

联绵liánmiánBound pair

Two characters that only ever appear together, spelling one ancient two-syllable word.

琶pá

The characters 琵 and 琶 carry no meaning of their own here; together they name a plucked lute.

Sound-only characters

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.