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Leiqin

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A Chinese bowed string instrument with a coconut resonator and snakeskin head

Detailed Definition
The leiqin appears in poetry as a voice of northern Chinese folk opera and street performance; its raspy tone conveys narrative urgency, and poets use it to evoke urban vernacular, historical storytelling, or the raw edge of popular musical expression.
Example
Example in poetry:
The leiqin’s rasp “carries northern tales through Beijing alleys like wind”; In a Chinese folk poem, its snakeskin head “holds street opera’s soul”; The instrument appears as “the voice of common stories”; A narrative lyric uses leiqin to explore popular storytelling.
Additional Notes
The leiqin, with its raspy, vocal-like tone, is used in northern Chinese qiang opera and street storytelling; in poetry, it symbolizes urban vernacular, narrative urgency, and the raw edge of popular expression; students analyzing Chinese folk traditions should recognize it as a bridge between theatrical performance and lyrical storytelling, where timbre conveys character and social context.
Also Known As
Leiqin fiddle Chinese spike fiddle
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