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Zheng

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 plucked zither with movable bridges, known for its flowing, harp-like tone

Detailed Definition
The zheng’s cascading arpeggios appear in classical and modern Chinese poetry to symbolize rivers, cosmic harmony, and feminine grace; its historical association with court ladies and contemporary innovation makes it a metaphor for lyrical continuity and cultural evolution in verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
In classical Chinese poetry, the zheng’s cascading glissandi mirror waterfalls in mountain grottoes; A Li Bai-inspired verse compares the zheng’s strings to “silver threads weaving moonlight”; Modern poets use the zheng to evoke qin aesthetics and scholarly solitude; In a diasporic poem, the zheng’s seventeen strings map the journey from Suzhou to Seattle; A contemporary eco-poem likens the zheng’s resonance to bamboo forests whispering climate warnings; In feminist verse, the zheng reclaims its ancient role as a woman’s instrument of refined expression.
Additional Notes
The zheng (or guzheng) is a Chinese plucked zither with 16–21 strings and movable bridges, capable of glissandi and tremolo; its rippling tones evoke rivers, mountains, and classical poetry—poets can reference it to explore Confucian ideals of harmony, the zheng as mirror of nature, or the instrument’s revival as symbol of cultural continuity in modern China.
Also Known As
Guzheng Chinese zither
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