瑟 sè — large stringed musical instrument · English

瑟

sè

large stringed musical instrument

At a glance · 瑟

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「瑟」从琴必声，小篆从琴瑟声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「瑟」本义为古弦乐器（五十弦），引申萧瑟。

Structure

从琴、必(瑟)声，形声字，琴表乐器义类，必表音，本为瑟。

At a glance

Pinyinsè

Radical王

Strokes13

UnicodeU+745F

Character type形声

Theme礼乐

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English large stringed musical instrument large stringed musical instrument; dignified, massive; sound of wind

Français cithare Cithare (instrument). «鼓瑟吹笙» : pincer la cithare.

Español cítara Cítara (instrumento). «鼓瑟吹笙»: pulsar la cítara.

العربية قيثارة قيثارة (آلة). «鼓瑟吹笙»: عزف القيثارة.

Русский цитра Цитра (инструмент). «鼓瑟吹笙»: играть на цитре.

Common words

瑟sèzither

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