Lyra in Greek myth is the lyre of Orpheus. Chinese astronomers translated 'lyre' as
琴 (qín 'stringed instrument') and added
天 (tiān 'sky') for 'celestial' — so
天琴座 = 'celestial-lyre constellation'. Most Chinese constellation names follow this
天X
座 pattern:
天鹅座 (Cygnus 'celestial swan'),
天蝎座 (Scorpius 'celestial scorpion').
