Taxonomy of meanings for 鼓:　　

  • gǔ 反切： 公戶； 聲調： 上； 廣韻：【説文曰郭也春分之音萬物郭皮甲而岀故謂之鼔周禮六鼔靁鼔靈鼓路鼔鼖鼔鼛鼔晉鼔亦作皷 】
    • DRUM
      • ndrum used to order troops to attackBUDDH: drum used in monasteries to accompany the recitation of scriptures or to signal activities
      • v[adN]drummer
      • vt[oN]beat the drum for an attack
      • vtoNbeat the drum to send (soldiers) into an attack
      • nadVV=actto the accompaniment of drumsCH
      • music involving> MUSIC
        • vtoNiussivehave (music) performed for one 鼓樂
      • relevant action> KNOCK
        • vtoNknock (bell etc); strike (a note on a drum)
        • military, sign of> ATTACK
          • vtoNbeat the drums to attack (the enemy); attack
          • psychological> ENCOURAGE
            • vt(oN)encourage contextually determinate people
            • vtoNencourage to an attack or a difficult undertaking
            • vtoNfigurativeurge on, encourage to engage in activity
            • vttoN.+V[0]urge and command the N to V
        • relevant action PLUCK STRINGS
          • vt[oN]strum on one's instrument, pluck the strings of one's instrument
          • vtoNstrum (string instrument; a tune)
          • vtoNbe able to play an instrument that is pluckedCH
    • =?> SMELT
      • vtoNsmelt
    • =?> DRAGON
      • ndrum dragon??

Additional information about 鼓

說文解字: 【鼓】，郭也，春分之音。萬物郭皮甲而出，故謂之鼓。从壴、支，象其手擊之也。《周禮》：六鼓：靁鼓八面，靈鼓六面，路鼓 四面，鼖鼓、皋鼓、晉鼓皆兩面。凡鼓之屬皆从鼓。 【徐鍇曰：郭者，覆冒之意。】 【工戶切】 【𪔐】，籒文鼓从古聲。

    Criteria
  • BELL

    SEE ILLUSTRATIONS

    1. The current general word for a bell of any kind is zhōng 鐘 / 鍾. When hung up singly, it is called tè zhōng 特鐘, with round opening as in illustration SUN JI. Rhythmic instrument. Also, hung up in a series of tuned bells, in two rows of eight bells each. Note that these bells were already rare by Han times. [In use mainly from the Western Zhou till the Warring States.]

    [GENERAL]

    2. Qìng 磬／罄 refers to music stones rather than bells, however, these "stones" could also be made of bronze.

    3. Náo 鐃 small handbell with handle which is held in one hand and beaten with the other hand.

    4. Zhēng 鉦 is a small bell with a handle like a náo 鐃, but somewhat larger, and not held in the hand but set up on a stand. It is used to order an army into retreat. (The gǔ 鼓 is used to order an army to attack.)

    5. Líng 鈴 refers to a small bell with a handle at the top.

    6. Duó 鐸 refers to a bell with a tongue which is similar to líng 鈴 but larger.

    7. Chuí 棰 refers to a metal or wooden stick with which to strike bells of any kind from the outside in order sound the bell. See STICK

    8. Yǔ 敔 is a rare word referring to a bell in the shape of a crouching tiger which is beaten using a bamboo stick. Apparently, this bell was only struck towards the end of a musical piece. [Mentioned in the YIJI chapter of the SHANGSHU. Description of the shape dates from the SONG. For a Chinese antiquity, I have not found any archaeological or pictorial evidence.]

    9. Bó 鎛 refers to a kind of suspended bell which is similar to zhōng 鐘 / 鍾 but even larger. Bó 鎛 were suspended not in sets, but alone or in pairs.

    10. Chún yú 錞于 refers to a special kind of bell.

    11. Luán 鸞 is a bell fixed on vehicles and knives which was supposed to make a sound like a luán-bird or phoenix.

    12. Luán 鑾 refers to a harness bell; probably identical with luán 鸞 : see LIJI.

    13. Zhù 柷 refers in SHI to some kind of resonance box used in music, an instrument which was struck in the beginning of a musical piece.

  • DRUM

    1. The current general word for a drum is gǔ 鼓. The ancient Chinese drum was beaten on the sides and not on the top.

    2. Pí 鼙 refers to a small handdrum wonderfully illustrated in a recent excavation from Sichuan.

    3. Jiàn gǔ 建鼓 refers to a drum set up on a war chariot and used in war times to give signals to soldiers. [The term specifically refers to a drum used in this way in war times, but it can generally refer to any drum set up on a wooden base and beaten on two sides.

    4. Gāo 鼛 refers to a large drum suspended on a frame. This was typically used to summon meetings. [Large drum used during feasts and to give signals in large public works; both functions are mentioned already in SHIJING.

    5. Fú 桴／枹 is the current general term for a drumstick.

    6. Fén 鼖 refers to a big drum which could be mounted on a vehicle and be used to give signals to soldiers.

    7. Fǔ2 柎 refers to a small handdrum filled with grain which was used to give a rhytm in musical performances.

    8. Táo 鞀 is a small two-eared hand-drum on the handle which one beat on by shaking it; it was used to regulate musical performances.

    9. Qì 蟿 is drum used to announce the night watches which is mentioned in ZHOULI.

    10. Tuó gǔ 鼉鼓 refers to a drum covered with alligator skin; the oldest evidence of this kind of drum is from the 3rd millenium B.C.

  • MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

    1. Perhaps the most current traditional general term for musical instruments is bā yīn 八音.

    2. Jīn shí 金石 refers not only to bells and stone chimes, but can apparently refer more generally and collectively to musical instruments.

    3. Zhōng gǔ 鐘鼓 can be used to refer collectively to musical instruments and not specifically to bells and drums only.

    4. Yuè 樂 is occasionally used to refer to musical instruments, as in the phrase zhū yuè 諸樂 "the various musical instruments".

  • WITHDRAW

    1. The current general word for withdrawing from somewhere is tuì 退 (ant. jìn 進 "move forwards"), and the withdrawal can be over a short or a long distance, often with the purpose of returning to one's point of departure.

    2. Què 卻 (ant. qián 前 "move forward") refers to backing off, often under pressure, and typically for a shorter distance, and usually the immediate purpose of the withdrawal is not that of returning to one's point of departure but to get out of a confrontation.

    3. Bà 罷 (ant. gōng 攻 "move forward to attack") refers to an army withdrawing its military forces.

    4. Bì 避 (ant. duì 對 "face up to") refers to a polite withdrawal from an honoured or regular position, typical a position facing someone in authority.

    5. Yin3 引 refers to the act of preparing and then commencing a formal military withdrawal.

    Jī jīn 擊金 and míng jīn 鳴金 "beating the bells for military withdrawal" (ant. jī gǔ 擊鼓 "beat the drums for a military attack") refers to giving a signal for withdrawal of troops.

    Word relations
  • Object: (KNOCK)鼙/DRUM Pí 鼙 refers to a small handdrum wonderfully illustrated in a recent excavation from Sichuan.
  • Contrast: (ENCOURAGE)動/STIMULATE Dòng 動 refers to bringing about action or movement in someone or something.
  • Assoc: (DRUM)鍾/BELL The current general word for a bell of any kind is zhōng 鐘/鍾. When hung up singly, it is called tè zhōng 特鐘, with round opening as in illustration SUN JI. Rhythmic instrument. Also, hung up in a series of tuned bells, in two rows of eight bells each. Note that these bells were already rare by Han times. [In use mainly from the Western Zhou till the Warring States.
  • Assoc: (DRUM)鐘/BELL
  • Assoc: (DRUM)鼙/DRUM Pí 鼙 refers to a small handdrum wonderfully illustrated in a recent excavation from Sichuan.
  • Synon: (PLUCK STRINGS)擊/STRIKE The current general word for striking against anything is jī 擊. Compare the late dǎ 打which remains exceedingly rare in pre-Buddhist times.
  • Synon: (PLUCK STRINGS)擊/KNOCK