# 弦

| 弦 | U+5F26, &#24358; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5F26 |
| ← 弥 [U+5F25] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 弧 → [U+5F27] |

## Translingual
### Han character

弦 (Kangxi radical 57, 弓+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 弓卜女戈 (NYVI), four-corner 1023$_2$, composition ⿰弓玄)

#### Derived characters

* 娹 㡉 惤 𢮂 㭹 誸 𨧻 𧼏 𦱁 婱 𢛆

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 357, character 31
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9754
* Dae Jaweon: page 674, character 13
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 993, character 7
* Unihan data for U+5F26

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

| | Old Chinese |
| 弦 | *ɡeːn |
| 絃 | *ɡeːn, *qʰʷeːn |
| 舷 | *ɡeːn |
| 痃 | *ɡeːn |
| 胘 | *ɡeːn, *ɡʷeːn |
| 蚿 | *ɡeːn |
| 伭 | *ɡeːn |
| 婱 | *ɡeːn |
| 玄 | *ɡʷeːn |
| 眩 | *ɡʷeːn, *ɡʷeːn |
| 玹 | *ɡʷeːn, *ɡʷeːn |
| 玆 | *ɡʷeːn |
| 詃 | *kʷeːn |
| 泫 | *ɡʷeːn |
| 鉉 | *ɡʷeːn |
| 炫 | *ɡʷeːn |
| 袨 | *ɡʷeːn |
| 衒 | *ɡʷeːn |
| 惤 | *ɡʷreːŋ |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ɡeːn): semantic 弓 (“bow”) + phonetic 玄 (OC *ɡʷeːn).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): xián, xuán (xian$^2$, xuan$^2$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢˊ, ㄒㄩㄢˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): jin$^4$ / jyun$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): hièn / hiàn
    (Hailu, HRS): hien
    (Meixian, Guangdong): hian$^2$
* Northern Min (KCR): hṳ̌ing
* Eastern Min (BUC): hièng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): hiân
    (Teochew, Peng'im): hin$^5$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$yi
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: xián
*** Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: sián
*** Wade–Giles: hsien$^2$
*** Yale: syán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyan
*** Palladius: сянь (sjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ɕi̯ɛn³⁵/
** (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: xiánr
*** Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˊㄦ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: siánr
*** Wade–Giles: hsien$^2$-ʼrh
*** Yale: syánr
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyal
*** Palladius: сяньр (sjanʹr)
*** Sinological IPA : /ɕi̯ɑɻ³⁵/
** (Standard Chinese, nonstandard variant)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: xuán
*** Zhuyin: ㄒㄩㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: syuán
*** Wade–Giles: hsüan$^2$
*** Yale: sywán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyuan
*** Palladius: сюань (sjuanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ɕy̯ɛn³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: jin$^4$ / jyun$^4$
*** Yale: yìhn / yùhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: jin$^4$ / jyn$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: yin$^4$ / yun$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /jiːn²¹/, /jyːn²¹/
* Hakka
** (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hièn
*** Hakka Romanization System: hien$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: hian$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /hi̯en¹¹/
** (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hiàn
*** Hakka Romanization System: hian$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: hian$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /hi̯an¹¹/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: hien
*** Sinological IPA: /hien⁵⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: hian$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /hian¹¹/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: hṳ̌ing
*** Sinological IPA : /xyiŋ²¹/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: hièng
*** Sinological IPA : /hieŋ⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hiân
*** Tâi-lô: hiân
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hieen
*** IPA (Xiamen): /hiɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /hiɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɛn¹³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /hiɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɛn²³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: hin$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hîⁿ
*** Sinological IPA : /hĩ⁵⁵/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$yi
*** MiniDict: yi$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$hhi
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦi²³/
* Dialectal data
| Variety | Location | edit弦 |
| Mandarin | Beijing | /ɕian³⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Harbin | /ɕian²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Tianjin | /ɕian⁴⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Jinan | /ɕiã⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Qingdao | /ɕyã⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Zhengzhou | /ɕyan⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Xi'an | /ɕiã²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Xining | /ɕiã²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Yinchuan | /ɕian⁵³/ |
| Mandarin | Lanzhou | /ɕiɛ̃n⁵³/ 彈～子 /ɕyɛ̃n⁵³/ 續～ |
| Mandarin | Ürümqi | /ɕian⁵¹/ |
| Mandarin | Wuhan | /ɕiɛn²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Chengdu | /ɕyan³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Guiyang | /ɕian²¹/ |
| Mandarin | Kunming | /ɕiɛ̃³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Nanjing | /ɕyen²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Hefei | /ɕyĩ⁵⁵/ |
| Jin | Taiyuan | /ɕye¹¹/ |
| Jin | Pingyao | /ɕye̞¹³/ |
| Jin | Hohhot | /ɕye³¹/ |
| Wu | Shanghai | /ɦi²³/ |
| Wu | Suzhou | /ɦiɪ¹³/ |
| Wu | Hangzhou | /ɦiẽ̞²¹³/ |
| Wu | Wenzhou | /ji³¹/ |
| Hui | Shexian | /ɕye⁴⁴/ |
| Hui | Tunxi | |
| Xiang | Changsha | /ɕiẽ¹³/ |
| Xiang | Xiangtan | /ɕiẽ¹²/ |
| Gan | Nanchang | /ɕyɵn⁴⁵/ 三～ |
| Hakka | Meixian | /hian¹¹/ |
| Hakka | Taoyuan | /hien¹¹/ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | /jin²¹/ |
| Cantonese | Nanning | /jin²¹/ |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | /jyn²¹/ |
| Min | Xiamen (Hokkien) | /hian³⁵/ |
| Min | Fuzhou (Eastern Min) | /hieŋ⁵³/ |
| Min | Jian'ou (Northern Min) | /xyiŋ²¹/ |
| Min | Shantou (Teochew) | /hĩ⁵⁵/ |
| Min | Haikou (Hainanese) | /hin³¹/ /i³¹/ |
* Middle Chinese: hen
Rime :
| Character | 弦 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 匣 (33) |
| Final (韻) | 先 (85) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | IV |
| Fanqie | 胡田切 |
| Baxter | hen |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ɦen/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ɦen/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ɣɛn/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ɦɛn/ |
| Li Rong | /ɣen/ |
| Wang Li | /ɣien/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ɣien/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | xián |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | jin$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ˤi[n]/
    (Zhengzhang): /*ɡeːn/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 弦 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | xián |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ hen › |
| Old Chinese | /*[ɢ]ˁi[n]/ |
| English | string of bow or instrument |
| 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 | 弦 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 14020 |
| Phonetic component | 玄 |
| Rime group | 元 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 賢 |
| Old Chinese | /*ɡeːn/ |

### Definitions

弦
* string; bowstring
* crescent
* spring of a clock
* (music) string on a musical instrument
* (music) stringed instruments or music played by stringed instruments
* (mathematics) chord
* (geometry) hypotenuse
* (figurative) wife
* a surname

### Compounds

* 一弦琴
* 七弦琴
* 三和弦 (sānhéxián)
* 下弦 (xiàxián)
* 三弦 (sānxián)
* 上弦 (shàngxián)
* 三弦書 / 三弦书
* 主和弦
* 二十五弦
* 二弦 (èrxián)
* 佩弦
* 佩韋佩弦 / 佩韦佩弦
* 公弦
* 六弦琴 (liùxiánqín)
* 初弦 (chūxián)
* 動人心弦 / 动人心弦 (dòngrénxīnxián)
* 口弦 (kǒuxián)
* 叩人心弦
* 合弦
* 和弦 (héxián)
* 品竹調弦 / 品竹调弦
* 單弦 / 单弦 (dānxián)
* 單弦拉戲 / 单弦拉戏
* 單弦說唱 / 单弦说唱
* 四弦琴 (sìxiánqín)
* 大三弦
* 如箭在弦
* 子弦
* 定弦
* 弓弦 (gōngxián)
* 弦不虛發 / 弦不虚发
* 弦仔
* 弦切角
* 弦吹
* 弦外之意
* 弦外之音 (xiánwàizhīyīn)
* 弦子 (xiánzi)
* 弦心距
* 弦月 (xiányuè)
* 弦柱
* 弦樂 / 弦乐 (xiányuè)
* 弦樂器 / 弦乐器 (xiányuèqì)
* 弦歌 (xiángē)
* 弦歌不輟 / 弦歌不辍
* 弦紋 / 弦纹
* 弦誦 / 弦诵
* 弦面板
* 弦韋 / 弦韦
* 心弦 (xīnxián)
* 應弦飲羽 / 应弦饮羽
* 扣人心弦 (kòurénxīnxián)
* 把弦兒 / 把弦儿
* 拉弦子
* 控弦 (kòngxián)
* 揉弦 (róuxián)
* 撥弦 / 拨弦
* 撥弦樂器 / 拨弦乐器
* 擦弦樂器 / 擦弦乐器
* 改弦易張 / 改弦易张
* 改弦易調 / 改弦易调
* 改弦易轍 / 改弦易辙 (gǎixiányìzhé)
* 改弦更張 / 改弦更张 (gǎixiángēngzhāng)
* 斷弦 / 断弦 (duànxián)
* 更弦易轍 / 更弦易辙
* 朱弦玉磬
* 正弦 (zhèngxián)
* 武城弦歌
* 無弦琴 / 无弦琴
* 獨弦哀歌 / 独弦哀歌
* 獨弦琴 / 独弦琴 (dúxiánqín)
* 琴弦 (qínxián)
* 琴斷朱弦 / 琴断朱弦
* 矢在弦上
* 空弦落雁
* 管弦 (guǎnxián)
* 管弦樂 / 管弦乐 (guǎnxiányuè)
* 管弦樂團 / 管弦乐团 (guǎnxián yuètuán)
* 箭在弦上
* 素女弦
* 繁弦急管
* 續弦 / 续弦 (xùxián)
* 續弦膠 / 续弦胶
* 老弦
* 舜弦
* 解弦更張 / 解弦更张
* 調弦 / 调弦
* 鉤弦 / 钩弦
* 開弦弓 / 开弦弓 (Kāixiángōng)
* 霹靂弦 / 霹雳弦
* 韋弦 / 韦弦
* 餘弦 / 余弦 (yúxián)
* 餘弦定律 / 余弦定律
* 鼓吹弦

### References

* “弦”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Jōyō kanji)
* bowstring
* (geometry) chord

#### Readings

* Go-on: げん (gen, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: けん (ken)
* Kun: つる (tsuru, 弦, Jōyō)

#### Compounds

* 弦歌(げんか) (genka)
* 弦月(げんげつ) (gengetsu)
* 移弦(いげん) (igen)
* 下弦(かんげん) (kangen)
* 管弦(かんげん) (kangen)
* 三弦(さんげん) (sangen)
* 正弦(せいげん) (seigen)
* 上弦(じょうげん) (jōgen)
* 調弦(ちょうげん) (chōgen)
* 撥弦(はつげん) (hatsugen)
* 余弦(よげん) (yogen)

#### Coordinate terms

* 弓(ゆみ) (yumi): a bow

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 弦
* げん Grade: S
* on'yomi

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) げん [géꜜǹ] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [ɡẽ̞ɴ]

#### Noun

弦(げん) • (gen)
* (music) string of a stringed instrument

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 弦
* つる Grade: S
* kun'yomi

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) つる [tsùrúꜜ] (Odaka –)
* (Tokyo) つる [tsúꜜrù] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [t͡sɨɾɯ̟]

#### Noun

弦(つる) • (tsuru)
* a bowstring
    Synonym: 弓弦
* (music) the string of an instrument
* the bow-shaped handle of a pot or teapot

##### Derived terms

* 弦巻(つるまき) (tsurumaki)
* 弦袋(つるぶくろ) (tsurubukuro)

### References

* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

## Korean
### Hanja

弦 • (hyeon) (hangeul 현, revised hyeon, McCune–Reischauer hyŏn, Yale hyen)
* bowstring

## Vietnamese
### Han character

弦: Hán Nôm readings: huyền
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.