shēng

small gourd-shaped musical instrument

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
⺮ meaning component

  Meaning component

zhú

  

bamboo

⺮ is a component form of .

生 sound component

  Sound component

shēng

  

life

Evolution

笙 Seal script Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal script

Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
笙 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
笙 Clerical script Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical script

Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
笙 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
笙 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

shēng

small gourd-shaped musical instrument; sheng, a free reed wind instrument with vertical bamboo pipes

Most common words with 笙
Freq.
Word
Meaning

sheng, a free reed wind instrument, with vertical bamboo pipes

芦笙

reed-pipe wind instrument

杜月笙

Du Yuesheng (1888-1951), Shanghai secret-society leader, banker, industrialist