Zheng
/ˈdʒɛŋ/noun
A Chinese plucked zither with movable bridges and typically 21 strings.
Did you know?The zheng is documented in China by the Warring States period, but scholars still debate whether its name imitates the twanging sound of its strings or preserves an older, obscure term.
Etymological Timeline
Warring States period, 5th–3rd century BCE
Chinese
箏
“The name of an ancient Chinese plucked string instrument; the earliest literary references appear in this period.”
Han dynasty, 2nd century BCE–2nd century CE
Chinese
箏
“A plucked zither used in Chinese musical culture and described in historical and literary sources.”
Middle Chinese, c. 6th–10th century
Middle Chinese
tsræng
“The historical pronunciation reconstructed for 箏; its ultimate word origin remains uncertain.”
Modern Mandarin
Chinese
zhēng
“The modern Mandarin name for the Chinese zither, commonly called 古箏 gǔzhēng when referring to the traditional instrument.”
20th century–Modern English
English
zheng
“An English loanword for the Chinese zither, especially in musicological and cultural writing.”