琴瑟

Chinese

		qin; general name for certain instruments	(mus. instr.)
trad. (琴瑟)		琴	瑟
simp. #(琴瑟)		琴	瑟

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): qínsè

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄣˊ ㄙㄜˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): kam⁴ sat¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): khìm-sit
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): khîm-sek

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: qínsè
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄣˊ ㄙㄜˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cínsè
    • Wade–Giles: chʻin²-sê⁴
    • Yale: chín-sè
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chynseh
    • Palladius: циньсэ (cinʹsɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰin³⁵ sɤ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: kam⁴ sat¹
    • Yale: kàhm sāt
    • Cantonese Pinyin: kam⁴ sat⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: kem⁴ sed¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɐm²¹ sɐt̚⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khìm-sit
    • Hakka Romanization System: kim^ˇ xid^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: kim² xid⁵
    • Sinological IPA: /kʰim¹¹ sit̚²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khîm-sek
    • Tâi-lô: khîm-sik
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qimseg
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kʰim²⁴⁻²² siɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰim²⁴⁻²² siɪk̚⁵/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kʰim¹³⁻²² siɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kʰim²⁴⁻¹¹ siɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰim²³⁻³³ siɪk̚³²/

---

• Middle Chinese: gim srit

Rime
Character	琴	瑟
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	群 (30)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	侵 (140)	櫛 (51)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	巨金切	所櫛切
Baxter	gim	srit
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɡˠiɪm/	/ʃɪt̚/
Pan Wuyun	/ɡᵚim/	/ʃɪt̚/
Shao Rongfen	/ɡiem/	/ʃiet̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/gjim/	/ʂit̚/
Li Rong	/ɡjəm/	/ʃiĕt̚/
Wang Li	/ɡĭĕm/	/ʃĭet̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/gi̯əm/	/ʂi̯æt̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qín	she
Expected Cantonese Reflex	kam4	sat1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[C.ɢ](r)[ə]m  [s.m]ri[t]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡrɯm  smriɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	琴	瑟
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	qín	sè
Middle Chinese	‹ gim ›	‹ srit ›
Old Chinese	/*[C.ɢ](r)[ə]m/	/*[s.m]ri[t]/
English	lute	lute
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	琴	瑟	瑟
Reading #	1/1	1/2	2/2
No.	6605	599	602
Phonetic component	今	必	必
Rime group	侵	質	質
Rime subdivision	1	2	2
Corresponding MC rime	琴	瑟	瑟
Old Chinese	/*ɡrɯm/	/*smriɡ/	/*smriɡ/

Noun

琴瑟

1. (music) the qin and the se (traditional Chinese zither-like instruments)

   • 窈窕淑女，琴瑟友之。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yǎotiǎoshūnǚ, qínsè yǒu zhī. [Pinyin]

     The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady: With lutes, small and large, let us give her friendly welcome.

2. (figurative) marital harmony

Derived terms

• 琴瑟不調 / 琴瑟不调
• 琴瑟之好
• 琴瑟和好
• 琴瑟和諧 / 琴瑟和谐
• 琴瑟和鳴 / 琴瑟和鸣 (qínsèhémíng)
• 琴瑟失調 / 琴瑟失调
• 琴瑟相調 / 琴瑟相调
• 琴瑟調和 / 琴瑟调和

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (琴瑟):

• → Japanese: 琴瑟(きんしつ) (kinshitsu)
• → Korean: 금슬(琴瑟) (geumseul)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
琴	瑟
きん Grade: S	しつ Hyōgai
on'yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 琴瑟 (MC gim srit).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) きんしつ [kìńshítsú] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) きんしつ [kíꜜǹshìtsù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [kʲĩɰ̃ɕit͡sɨ]

Noun

琴(きん)瑟(しつ) • (kinshitsu) ^{←きんしつ (kinsitu)?}

1. (literary, music) the qin and the se (traditional Chinese zither-like instruments)
2. (literary, figurative) marital harmony