琵琶
Chinese[edit]
phonetic | |||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (琵琶) | 琵 | 琶 | |
simp. #(琵琶) | 琵 | 琶 | |
alternative forms | 枇杷 批把 鼙婆 |
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from a language in the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. Compare Persian بربط (barbat, “barbat; lute”), Ancient Greek βάρβιτος (bárbitos, “barbitos; ancient stringed instrument”).
Both characters were initially non-checked-tone characters. Reborrowed during the Tang Dynasty from a source that more closely resembles the modern Persian name of the instrument, both characters were read as if they have checked codas. The original non-checked readings were restored after the Ming Dynasty (bat carving head pipa). Compare the modern checked-tone dialectal readings of 枇杷 (pípá).
Much folk etymology exists surrounding the name origin. The dictionary Shiming [2nd CE] explains the name as 批把 (“slap-grasp”), reflecting the plucking movements while playing the stringed instrument. 琵琶 is also cognate with—and possibly gave rise to the name of (due to the similarity in shape)—枇杷 (pípá, “loquat”), which is also a non-native species.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
琵琶
- pipa (plucked Chinese string instrument)
- 千呼萬喚始出來,猶抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: 816, 白居易 (Bai Juyi), 琵琶行 (The Song of the Pipa Player)
- Qiānhūwànhuàn shǐ chūlái, yóu bào pípá bàn zhē miàn. [Pinyin]
- Yet we called and urged a thousand times before she started toward us,
Still hiding half her face from us behind her pipa.
千呼万唤始出来,犹抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Derived terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
Others:
Japanese[edit]
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
琵 | 琶 |
び Jinmeiyō |
は > わ Jinmeiyō |
on’yomi |
Etymology[edit]
/bipa/ → /bifa/ → /biwa/
Borrowing from Middle Chinese 琵琶 (MC bjij bae). The sound change of /f/ → /w/ is unusual in Sino-Japanese vocabulary.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
- 琵琶合わせ, 琵琶合せ (biwa-awase)
- 琵琶歌 (biwauta)
- 琵琶打ち (biwa-uchi)
- 琵琶貝 (biwagai)
- 琵琶形銅剣 (biwa-gata dōken)
- 琵琶蟹 (biwagani)
- 琵琶記 (Biwaki)
- 琵琶湖 (Biwako)
- 琵琶行 (Biwakō)
- 琵琶琴 (biwagoto)
- 琵琶滝 (Biwa-daki)
- 琵琶の琴 (biwa no koto)
- 琵琶羽衣 (biwa hagoromo)
- 琵琶法師 (biwa hōshi)
- 琵琶鱒 (biwamasu)
- 楽琵琶 (gaku biwa)
- 薩摩琵琶 (Satsuma biwa)
- 筑前琵琶 (Chikuzen biwa)
- 筑紫琵琶 (Tsukushi biwa)
- 錦琵琶 (nishiki biwa)
- 平家琵琶 (Heike biwa)
- 盲僧琵琶 (mōsō biwa)
See also[edit]
Proper noun[edit]
- a place name
- a surname
References[edit]
Korean[edit]
Hanja in this term | |
---|---|
琵 | 琶 |
Noun[edit]
Vietnamese[edit]
chữ Hán Nôm in this term | |
---|---|
琵 | 琶 |
Noun[edit]
琵琶
- Mandarin terms with homophones
- Mandarin words containing toneless variants
- Cantonese terms with homophones
- Middle Chinese lemmas
- Old Chinese lemmas
- Chinese lemmas
- Mandarin lemmas
- Cantonese lemmas
- Hakka lemmas
- Northern Min lemmas
- Eastern Min lemmas
- Hokkien lemmas
- Teochew lemmas
- Wu lemmas
- Chinese nouns
- Mandarin nouns
- Cantonese nouns
- Hakka nouns
- Northern Min nouns
- Eastern Min nouns
- Hokkien nouns
- Teochew nouns
- Wu nouns
- Chinese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Literary Chinese terms with quotations
- Chinese disyllabic morphemes
- zh:String instruments
- Japanese terms spelled with 琵
- Japanese terms spelled with 琶
- Japanese terms read with on'yomi
- Japanese terms borrowed from Middle Chinese
- Japanese terms derived from Middle Chinese
- Japanese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Japanese lemmas
- Japanese nouns
- Japanese terms spelled with jinmeiyō kanji
- Japanese terms written with two Han script characters
- Japanese proper nouns
- Japanese surnames
- ja:String instruments
- Korean lemmas
- Korean nouns
- Korean nouns in Han script
- ko:String instruments
- Vietnamese lemmas
- Vietnamese nouns
- Vietnamese Chữ Hán
- vi:String instruments