弦

bow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring; chord (segment of curve); hypotenuse; CL:根[gen1]

8 strokes Dict coverage rank #1,291 U+5F26

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

弓 (semantic, “bow”) + 玄 (phonetic, xuán)

components: 弓玄

bowstring · Heisig RSH #2412

玄 mysterious + 弓 bow

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Phonetic series: characters sharing the sound component 玄

Siblings built with the same phonetic component 玄 (xuán) — compare how they read:

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
玄 sound component	xuán	deep, profound, abstruse
畜	chù	livestock, domestic animals
眩	xuàn	to confuse; dazed, disoriented
炫	xuàn	to glitter, to shine; to show off, to flaunt
舷	xián	bulwarks, gunwhale
铉	xuàn	a device for carrying a tripod
泫	xuàn	to weep, to cry; to shine, to glisten

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
大三和弦	dà sān hé xián	major triad do-mi-so
小三和弦	xiǎo sān hé xián	minor triad la-do-mi
弦外之音	xián wài zhī yīn	overtone (music); (fig.) connotation; implied meaning
弦外之意	xián wài zhī yì	see 弦外之音[xian2 wai4 zhi1 yin1]
正弦定理	zhèng xián dìng lǐ	law of sines
分散和弦	fēn sàn hé xián	(music) arpeggio
三和弦	sān hé xián	(music) triad; three-note chord
管弦乐团	guǎn xián yuè tuán	orchestra
主和弦	zhǔ hé xián	tonic triad; triad of the home key
击弦类乐器	jī xián lèi yuè qì	hammered string musical instrument
弦乐器	xián yuè qì	string instrument
上弦月	shàng xián yuè	first quarter moon
双曲正弦	shuāng qū zhèng xián	hyperbolic sine or sinh (math.)
下弦月	xià xián yuè	third quarter moon, aka last quarter moon
管弦乐	guǎn xián yuè	orchestral music
管弦乐队	guǎn xián yuè duì	orchestra
弦理论	xián lǐ lùn	string theory (physics)
正弦波	zhèng xián bō	sine wave; simple harmonic vibration
正弦形	zhèng xián xíng	sinusoidal (shaped like a sine wave)
常德丝弦	Cháng dé sī xián	Changde sixian, theatrical folk music style with singing in Changde dialect accompanied by…