小提琴
xiǎotíqín · HSK 7
violin
🎻 小提琴 = small + hold/lift + stringed-instrument: a small string instrument you hold up
小 — three small strokes around a central vertical
小 is a pictograph originally showing three tiny dots or specks, suggesting small particles or grains. Over time the dots became stylized strokes flanking a central line. The core meaning 'small' has stayed remarkably stable from oracle bone script to today.
提 — hand radical 扌 + 是 (phonetic)
提 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning, since the character originally referred to lifting or carrying something by hand. The right side 是 supplies the sound. From 'lift up' it extended to 'raise (an issue),' 'mention,' and 'bring forward.'
琴 — two 玉 (jade) on top + 今 (jīn) phonetic below
Originally a pictograph of a stringed instrument, showing strings stretched over a wooden body. The modern form reanalyzes the top as paired 玉 (jade), suggesting the precious tone of the instrument, while 今 at the bottom hints at the pronunciation qín. It refers to the ancient Chinese zither (guqin).