Taxonomy of meanings for 琴:　　

Additional information about 琴

說文解字:

Criteria
• TEACH
  

  1. The current general word for training, instructing, and disciplining others is jiào 教 (ant. xué 學 "study") and the standard main aim of jiào 教 is unquestioning obedience, professional skill, and intellectual conformity to the standard set by the teacher, and the word connotes use of authority and sometimes even coercion. The primary aim of jiào 教 is action conforming to a standard, and the word is commonly nominalised.

  2. Huì 誨 (ant. xí 習 "study persistently") refers to systematic and persistent efforts to teach and inculcate intellectual or practical skills ( 誨之琴 "taught him to play the zither") and moral understanding of students ( 誨女知之 "I will teach you so you understand"), and the word never implies coercion or any threat of force. Huì 誨 can be mutual, or refer to equals teaching equals, even subordinates teaching superiors 諫誨 "remonstrate with and instruct". The word is not commonly nominalised. The primary aim of huì 誨 is understanding.

  3. Huà 化 refers to successful disciplining and teaching, typically on a large social scale. See INFLUENCE

  4. Qǐ 啟 and fā 發 refer to the opening up of new intellectual and moral dimensions for others.

  5. Xùn 訓 refers in a rather abstract way to formal strict instruction and training aimed primarily at professional skill.

  6. Zhào 詔 refers to instruction by means of useful information or warning.

  7. Fēng 風 is occasionally used to refer to teaching by example.

  8. Liàn 練 refers specifically to military training and only occasionally to other forms of drill.

  9. Dào 道 refers to the content of what is taught, and is largely restricted to postnominal position, as in 儒道 "Confucian teaching".

• STRING INSTRUMENTS
  

  1. The most current musical instrument in ancient China is the qín 琴﹣ lute which generally had seven strings. This instrument is played with both hands. With one's left hand one holds down the strings while one plucks with one's right hand.

  2. Sè 瑟 refers to a larger instrument than the qín 琴, and the number of strings was standardly 25. The strings were longer and gave a deeper and more sentimental sound. This instrument is also played with both hands, but here both hands are plucking and are able to produce more polyphonic effects.

  3. Zhēng 箏 refers to an instrument very much like a sè 瑟 native to the state of Qín but spread all over China, but the instrument typically has 13 strings. It is played in basically the same way as the sè 瑟, but gives a crisper sound. See illustrations.

  4. Zhú 筑 refers to a 13 string instrument which is not plucked but struck with a small bamboo object called zhú chǐ 竹尺.

  5. Kǒng hóu 箜篌 is a small harp with 25 strings first mentioned in Shǐjì.

Word relations
• Ant: (STRING INSTRUMENTS)瑟/STRING INSTRUMENTS Sè 瑟 refers to a larger instrument than the qín 琴, and the number of strings was standardly 25. The strings were longer and gave a deeper and more sentimental sound. This instrument is also played with both hands, but here both hands are plucking and are able to produce more polyphonic effects. 1 Attribution
• Object: (STRING INSTRUMENTS)援/TAKE1 Attribution
• Object: (STRING INSTRUMENTS)撫/PLUCK STRINGS1 Attribution
• Assoc: (STRING INSTRUMENTS)瑟/STRING INSTRUMENTS Sè 瑟 refers to a larger instrument than the qín 琴, and the number of strings was standardly 25. The strings were longer and gave a deeper and more sentimental sound. This instrument is also played with both hands, but here both hands are plucking and are able to produce more polyphonic effects. 3 Attributions