guqin

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See also: gǔqín

English

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Wikipedia
An antique guqin in the lianzhu form

Alternative forms

Etymology

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 古琴 (gǔqín), made up of (, “ancient”) and (qín, “stringed instrument”).

Pronunciation

Noun

guqin (plural guqin or guqins)

  1. A plucked zither-like stringed instrument (chordophone), traditionally featuring seven unfretted strings, originating in ancient China.
    • 1982 May 25, The Times, p.10 col. C:
      Among those who will be making the Otter valley resound to the strains of the guzheng and erhu is Wu Wenguang, who plays a piece of music 1,800 years old on the guqin, an instrument known to have existed 3,000 years ago.
    • , →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 December 2007, Features, page 13:
      The kuchin is one of China’s oldest and most revered stringed instruments; its meditative character serves as a symbol of the CD’s inspiration.]

Usage notes

  • In the past, the guqin was referred to only as the qin, but it has the prefix gu- to distinguish it from other instruments which are also called qin. It can be referred to as qin after guqin is used in the first instance.
  • The organology of the qin fits that of a zither, but in the past, it has been incorrectly referred to as a lute or harp.
  • It is sometimes confused with the guzheng (古筝) which is a different stringed instrument.

Translations

See also

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Further reading