弦 (xián): string (of a musical instrument…

Measure Word

一根弦 gēn

Meanings

1 string (of a musical instrument or a bow)
2 chord (in mathematics); hypotenuse

Characters

弦

xian

string; chord

Examples

吉他有六根弦。

Jítā yǒu liù gēn xián.

A guitar has six strings.

他拨动了琴弦。

Tā bō dòng le qínxián.

He plucked the strings of the instrument.

这件事触动了她心中的一根弦。

Zhè jiàn shì chùdòng le tā xīnzhōng de yì gēn xián.

This matter struck a chord in her heart.

Tips

memory

The character 弦 has the bow radical 弓 on the left — a bowstring is the original meaning. From bow strings to instrument strings to math strings, the concept of a taut line connecting two points runs through all the meanings.

Components

radical

弓 gōng

bow

Left bow radical — a pictograph of a curved hunting bow. Carries the meaning: 弦 is the tensioned string of a bow, by extension a musical instrument's string or a tense crescent moon. Indexes 弦 alongside 引 to draw, 张 to stretch, 弹 to flick.

phonetic

玄 xuán

dark; mysterious (here phonetic)

Right side 玄 supplies the sound — xuán → xián through an old vowel shift. The 'dark, mysterious' meaning is not active; 玄 is a sound tag, though originally 玄 depicted a twisted thread, faintly echoing the taut twisted gut of the bowstring. Same phonetic in 眩 dizzy, 炫 dazzle.