Sheng
/ʃɛŋ/noun
A Chinese mouth organ consisting of a cluster of free reeds fitted into a gourd or metal wind chamber.
Did you know?The sheng is one of the oldest known instruments using free reeds, a principle later echoed in Western instruments such as the harmonica and accordion.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
笙
“An ancient reed instrument; the exact early pronunciation is reconstructed rather than directly recorded.”
1st Century
Classical Chinese
shēng
“A mouth organ used in Chinese musical practice and described in early texts.”
Middle Chinese
Chinese
sræŋ
“The name of the reed-based mouth organ, reconstructed from historical pronunciation evidence.”
19th Century
English
sheng
“A Chinese mouth organ, adopted into English descriptive writing.”
Modern English
English
sheng
“A traditional Chinese free-reed mouth organ, commonly made with bamboo or metal pipes.”
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