瑟 sè — (mus. instr.)
寒风中，他冷得瑟瑟发抖。Hán fēng zhōng, tā lěng de sè sè fā dǒu.In the cold wind, he shivered with cold.
Common words: 得瑟 (dè se)、瑟索 (sè suǒ)、瑟缩 (sè suō)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "mus. instr."
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "mus. instr.", including 瑟 (sè), 琴 (qín). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "mus. instr." covers 2 different Chinese characters — 瑟 (sè), 琴 (qín) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sè, qín — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 瑟 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 瑟 sè(mus. instr.)Useful words: 得瑟, 瑟索
- 琴 qín(mus. instr.)Useful words: 钢琴, 小提琴
Common words for these 2 "mus. instr." characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 瑟 (sè) — so "mus. instr." turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "mus. instr.".
琴 qín — (mus. instr.)
妹妹每天都坚持练习钢琴。Mèi mei měi tiān dōu jiān chí liàn xí gāng qín.My younger sister practices the piano every day.
Common words: 钢琴 (gāng qín)、小提琴 (xiǎo tí qín)、琴手 (qín shǒu)
All 2 characters
Open 瑟、琴 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.