笙 (shēng): sheng (Chinese free-reed mouth…

Measure Word

一把笙 bǎ

Meanings

1 sheng (Chinese free-reed mouth organ with a cluster of bamboo pipes)

Characters

笙

shēng

sheng (reed mouth organ)

Examples

笙是一种用嘴吹的簧管乐器。

Shēng shì yì zhǒng yòng zuǐ chuī de huángguǎn yuèqì.

The sheng is a mouth-blown free-reed pipe instrument.

《诗经》里就有"吹笙鼓簧"的句子。

《Shījīng》 lǐ jiù yǒu “chuī shēng gǔ huáng” de jùzi.

The 《Book of Songs》 already contains the line 'blow the sheng, vibrate its reeds'.

Tips

history

Attested in oracle-bone inscriptions and 《诗经·小雅·鹿鸣》 ('吹笙鼓簧') — one of the oldest Chinese instruments. Its free-reed mechanism (air vibrating a metal tongue) was carried west along the Silk Road and is the direct ancestor of the Western harmonium, accordion and harmonica.