古筝怎么读？ How to Pronounce "Guzheng"

古筝的英文读法是 GOO-jung：“goo”同 goose 的开头，“jung”同 jungle 去掉“-le”。中文写作“古筝”，拼音为 gǔzhēng：先是低降再微微上扬的第三声，接着是高而平的第一声。 Guzheng is pronounced GOO-jung: "goo" as in goose, "jung" as in jungle without the "-le". In Mandarin it is written 古筝 and spelled gǔzhēng in pinyin: a low, dipping tone followed by a high, level one.

逐字拆解Breaking it down, syllable by syllable

古 gǔ（“goo”）意为“古老”。读第三声：声音先降低，再略微上扬。在另一个字前快读时，通常只停留在低音。 古 gǔ ("goo") means "ancient". It takes the third tone: your voice dips low, then lifts slightly. Said quickly before another syllable, it mostly just stays low.

筝 zhēng（“jung”）就是这件乐器本身的名字。读第一声：高而平，像在唱一个长音。这里有两个音要注意： 筝 zhēng ("jung") is the name of the instrument itself. It takes the first tone: high and flat, as if you were holding a sung note. Two sounds matter here:

• zh 接近英文 jug 中的“j”，舌尖略微向后卷，而不是 vision 中那个轻柔的“zh”音。zh sounds like the "j" in jug, with the tongue tip curled slightly back. It is not the soft "zh" in vision.
• eng 与 sung 押韵，而不是 length。eng rhymes with sung, not with length.

合起来就是先低后高：goo-JUNG。由于第二个音节较高，说英语的人常会以为重音在后。 Put together, the word goes low, then high: goo-JUNG. Because the second syllable sits higher, English speakers often hear it as stressed.

四个最常见的错误The four most common mistakes

如果只能记住一点，就记住“j”。声调稍有偏差不会让人误解；但“goo-ZENG”听起来可能像另一个词。 If you get only one thing right, make it the "j". Nobody will misunderstand a slightly wrong tone; "goo-ZENG" can sound like a different word.

在新加坡会听到的其他叫法Other names you will hear in Singapore

• 筝（Zheng）：演奏者常省去“古”字，直接说“筝”，指的是同一件乐器。Zheng (筝): Players often drop the 古 and just say "zheng". It means the same instrument.
• 古箏：繁体写法，用于香港和台湾。新加坡使用简体“古筝”。古箏: The traditional-character spelling, used in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Singapore uses the simplified 古筝.
• 粤语：粤语读作 gu2 zang1，与普通话相近，第二个音节同样高而平。Cantonese: Cantonese speakers say gu2 zang1, which sounds close to the Mandarin, with a high, level second syllable.
• Chinese zither：常见的英文描述。zither 泛指琴弦横跨在平板琴身上的乐器。Chinese zither: The usual English description. A zither is any instrument with strings stretched across a flat body.

古琴、扬琴等民乐乐器怎么读How to pronounce guqin, yangqin and other Chinese instruments

最容易读错的字母是 q，它在拼音里的发音接近英文的“ch”。古琴读作“GOO-chin”，而不是“goo-kin”。 The letter that trips most people up is q, which in pinyin sounds like "ch". Guqin is "GOO-chin", not "goo-kin".

古筝和古琴都是长而平的琴，常被混淆。最快的分辨方法：古琴七弦、无码；古筝弦数多得多，每根弦都架在各自可移动的筝码上。 People often confuse the guzheng and the guqin because both are long, flat zithers. The quickest way to tell them apart: the guqin has seven strings and no bridges, while the guzheng has many more strings, each resting on its own movable bridge.

学古筝需要会华文吗？Do you need Mandarin to learn guzheng?

不需要。很多古筝老师用华文称呼指法，所以懂几个词会有帮助：托 tuō（大指向外弹）、抹 mǒ（食指向内弹）、勾 gōu（中指向内弹）和摇指 yáozhǐ（让古筝声音如水波闪动的快速摇指）。这些在头几堂课里就能学会。 No. Many guzheng teachers name techniques in Mandarin, so a few words help: 托 tuō (thumb plucks outward), 抹 mǒ (index finger plucks inward), 勾 gōu (middle finger plucks inward) and 摇指 yáozhǐ (the fast tremolo that makes the guzheng shimmer). You will pick these up in the first few lessons.

在逸梅草堂，课程以英文和华文教学，您可以选择自己更习惯的语言。想知道名字里的“古”从何而来，请阅读古筝的两千五百年历史。 At YMCT, lessons are taught in English and Mandarin, so you can learn in whichever you are more comfortable with. If you want to know where the "ancient" in the name comes from, read The 2,500-Year History of the Guzheng.

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