Sheng
The sheng in five languages: European languages use the Chinese name; a free-reed mouth organ
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 笙 |
| English | sheng |
| Italian | — |
| German | — |
| French | — |
The sheng is China's reed mouth organ. Bamboo pipes sit in a wind chest, and a small reed inside each pipe vibrates freely in the airstream — the free-reed principle. It can sound one note or several at once, making it one of the few wind instruments in Chinese ensembles that can play chords. Round, square and keyed forms are common.
Watch out: the sheng is a free-reed instrument, driven by the reed's own vibration, and needs no double reed like the suona; the two work on different principles. The usual account makes the sheng a distant ancestor of free-reed instruments such as the accordion and harmonica. Italian, German and French have no established native name and use sheng.
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Sources
- 名称与形制，参《中国音乐词典》与 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Sheng"；译名参通行音乐术语词典；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.