琵琶

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (琵琶)		琵	琶
simp. #(琵琶)		琵	琶
alternative forms		枇杷 批把 鼙婆

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• 琵琶

Etymology

Borrowed from a language in the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. Compare Persian بربط (barbat, “barbat; lute”), Ancient Greek βάρβιτος (bárbitos, “barbitos; ancient stringed instrument”).

Both characters were initially non-checked-tone characters. Reborrowed during the Tang Dynasty from a source that more closely resembles the modern Persian name of the instrument, both characters were read as if they have checked codas. The original non-checked readings were restored after the Ming Dynasty (bat carving head pipa). Compare the modern checked-tone dialectal readings of 枇杷 (pípá).

Much folk etymology exists surrounding the name origin. The dictionary Shiming [2nd CE] explains the name as 批把 (“slap-grasp”), reflecting the plucking movements while playing the stringed instrument. 琵琶 is also cognate with—and possibly gave rise to the name of (due to the similarity in shape)—枇杷 (pípá, “loquat”), which is also a non-native species.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): pípá

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄧˊ ㄆㄚˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): pei⁴ paa⁴ / pei⁴ paa^4-2
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): phì-phà

  (Hailu, HRS): pi pa

• Northern Min (KCR): bǐ-bǎ
• Eastern Min (BUC): bì-bà
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): pî-pê / kî-pê / gî-pê / khî-pê / pî-pêe

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bi⁵ bê⁵

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶bi-bo

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pípá → pípa (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄧˊ ㄆㄚˊ → ㄆㄧˊ ˙ㄆㄚ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: pípå
    • Wade–Giles: pʻi²-pʻa⁵
    • Yale: pí-pa
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: pyi.par
    • Palladius: пипа (pipa)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰi³⁵ pʰä³⁵/ → /pʰi³⁵ pʰä³/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 批把 枇把 枇杷 琵琶

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)
    • Jyutping: pei⁴ paa⁴ / pei⁴ paa^4-2
    • Yale: pèih pàh / pèih pá
    • Cantonese Pinyin: pei⁴ paa⁴ / pei⁴ paa^4-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: péi⁴ pa⁴ / péi⁴ pa^4-2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰei̯²¹ pʰaː²¹/, /pʰei̯²¹ pʰaː²¹⁻³⁵/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 枇杷 琵琶

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phì-phà
    • Hakka Romanization System: pi^ˇ pa^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: pi² pa²
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰi¹¹ pʰa¹¹/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: pi pa
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰi⁵⁵ pʰa⁵⁵/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: bǐ-bǎ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi²¹ pa²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: bì-bà
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁵³⁻³³ ^(p-)βa⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Tainan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pî-pê
    • Tâi-lô: pî-pê
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pi'pee
    • IPA (Taipei): /pi²⁴⁻¹¹ pe²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pi²³⁻³³ pe²³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pi¹³⁻²² pe¹³/
    • IPA (Tainan): /pi²⁴⁻³³ pe²⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pi²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kî-pê
    • Tâi-lô: kî-pê
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ki'pee
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ki²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gî-pê
    • Tâi-lô: gî-pê
    • Phofsit Daibuun: gi'pee
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ɡi²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khî-pê
    • Tâi-lô: khî-pê
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qi'pee
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰi²⁴⁻²² pe²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pî-pêe
    • Tâi-lô: pî-pêe
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pi¹³⁻²² pɛ¹³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bi⁵ bê⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pî pê
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁵⁵⁻¹¹ pe⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶bi-bo
    • MiniDict: bi^去 bo
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³bi-bo
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /bi²² bo⁴⁴/

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• Middle Chinese: bjij bae

Rime
Character	琵	琶
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	並 (3)	並 (3)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)	麻 (98)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	II
Fanqie	房脂切	蒲巴切
Baxter	bjij	bae
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/biɪ/	/bˠa/
Pan Wuyun	/bi/	/bᵚa/
Shao Rongfen	/bjɪ/	/ba/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/bi/	/baɨ/
Li Rong	/bi/	/ba/
Wang Li	/bi/	/ba/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱi/	/bʱa/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	pí	pá
Expected Cantonese Reflex	pei4	paa4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*bi  braː/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	琵	琶
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	525	116
Phonetic component	比	巴
Rime group	脂	魚
Rime subdivision	2	0
Corresponding MC rime	𣬈	爬
Old Chinese	/*bi/	/*braː/
Notes	釋名作枇杷	釋名作枇杷

Noun

琵琶

1. pipa (plucked Chinese string instrument) (Classifier: 支 mn-t)

   • 千呼萬喚始出來，猶抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     千呼万唤始出来，犹抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 816, 白居易 (Bai Juyi), 琵琶行 (The Song of the Pipa Player)

     Qiānhūwànhuàn shǐ chūlái, yóu bào pípá bàn zhē miàn. [Pinyin]

     Yet we called and urged a thousand times before she started toward us,
     Still hiding half her face from us behind her pipa.

Derived terms

• 反彈琵琶 / 反弹琵琶
• 彈琵琶 / 弹琵琶
• 洋琵琶 (yángpípa)
• 漢琵琶 / 汉琵琶
• 烏孫琵琶 / 乌孙琵琶
• 琵琶仔
• 琵琶別抱 / 琵琶别抱 (pípábiébào)
• 琵琶湖 (Pípáhú)
• 琵琶舊語 / 琵琶旧语
• 琵琶蟲 / 琵琶虫 (pípáchóng)
• 琵琶行
• 琵琶襟
• 琵琶記 / 琵琶记
• 琵琶調 / 琵琶调
• 琵琶譜 / 琵琶谱
• 琵琶錄 / 琵琶录
• 琵琶骨 (pípagǔ)
• 琵琶魚 / 琵琶鱼 (pípáyú)
• 琵琶鮫 / 琵琶鲛
• 秦琵琶 (qínpípá)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (琵琶):

• → Japanese: 琵琶(びわ) (biwa)
• → Korean: 비파(琵琶) (bipa)
• → Vietnamese: tì bà (琵琶)

Others:

• → Georgian: ფიფა (pipa)
• → Zhuang: bizbaz