In this video you'll be introduced to the unique sounds and history of some of the most famous Chinese Instruments. Along the way, you'll pick up useful vocabulary and enjoy a couple of classic Chinese covers songs featuring these traditional instruments!
古筝 gǔ zhēng
gǔ zhēng shì wǒ guó gǔ lǎo de mín zú dàn bō yuè qì.
古筝是我国古老的民族弹拨乐器。
Gu Zheng is an ancient national plucked string instrument in China.
zhì jīn yǒu liǎng qiān duō nián de lì shǐ.
至今有两千多年的历史。
It has a history of more than 2000 years.
tā chǎn shēng zài zhàn guó shí qī,
它产生在战国时期，
It was produced during the Warring States Period,
liú xíng yú qín guó,
流行于秦国，
and was popular in the Qin State,
yě jiù shì xiàn zài de shǎn xī dì qū.
也就是现在的陕西地区。
which is now Shanxi region.
tā shì zhōng guó dú tè de, zhòng yào de mín zú yuè qì zhī yī.
它是中国独特的, 重要的民族乐器之一。
It is one of China's unique and important national musical instruments.
yīn wèi gǔ zhēng de yīn yù kuān guǎng,
因为古筝的音域宽广，
Because of its wide range of sound,
yīn sè yōu měi dòng tīng, bèi chēng wéi “zhòng yuè zhī wáng”,
音色优美动听，被称为“众乐之王”，
and beautiful tone colour, Guzheng is called the "King of All Music" ,
yě bèi chēng wéi “dōng fāng gāng qín”.
也被称为“东方钢琴”。
and also known as the "Oriental Piano".
zěn me yàng？ nǐ jué de gǔ zhēng de shēng yīn hǎo tīng ma？
怎么样？你觉得古筝的声音好听吗？
What do you think? Do you think Gu Zheng sounds good?
wǒ jué de tā de shēng yīn ràng wǒ hěn fàng sōng，
我觉得它的声音让我很放松，
I think its sound makes me very relaxed.
gǎn jué zì jǐ chuān yuè dào gǔ dài，
感觉自己穿越到古代，
It feels like I travel to ancient times,
hé péng you zài jiǔ guǎn yī biān hē zhe jiǔ，
和朋友在酒馆一边喝着酒，
and drink wine with my friends at the "pub",
yī biān xīn shǎng zhe yī wèi měi nǚ huò zhě shuài gē tán zhe gǔ zhēng.
一边欣赏着一位美女或者帅哥弹着古筝。
while watching a beautiful woman or handsome guy playing the Gu Zheng.
笛子 dí zi
dí zi shì zuì gǔ lǎo de hàn zú yuè qì，
笛子是最古老的汉族乐器，
Di Zi is the oldest musical instrument of the Han ethnicity,
dà gài yǒu 7000 duō nián de lì shǐ.
大概有7000多年的历史。
with a history of about 7000 years.
dí zi yòng tiān rán zhú cái zhì chéng, suǒ yǐ yě chēng wéi "zhú dí".
笛子用天然竹材制成，所以也称为"竹笛"。
Di Zi is made of natural bamboo, so it is also called "bamboo flute".
dí zi de biǎo xiàn lì fēi cháng fēng fù,
笛子的表现力非常丰富，
The expressive power of the Di Zi is very rich.
tā jì néng yǎn zòu yōu cháng, gāo kàng de xuán lǜ，
它既能演奏悠长, 高亢的旋律，
It can not only play long, high-pitched and penetrating melodies,
yòu néng biǎo xiàn liáo kuò, kuān guǎng de qíng diào,
又能表现辽阔、宽广的情调，
but also express a vast and broad sentiment.
tóng shí yě kě yǐ zòu chū huá lì de wǔ qǔ,
同时也可以奏出华丽的舞曲,
At the same time, it can also play gorgeous dance music,
hé wǎn zhuǎn yōu měi de xiǎo diào.
和婉转优美的小调。
and gentle beautiful minor tunes.
tā hái néng biǎo xiàn dà zì rán de gè zhǒng shēng yīn.
它还能表现大自然的各种声音。
It can also express various sounds of nature.
bǐ rú mó fǎng gè zhǒng niǎo jiào děng děng.
比如模仿各种鸟叫等等。
For example, imitating various bird calls and so on.
nǐ xǐ huan dí zi de shēng yīn ma？
你喜欢笛子的声音吗？
Do you like the sound of Di Zi?
měi cì dāng wǒ tīng dào dí zi de shēng yīn shí,
每次当我听到笛子的声音时，
Every time I hear the sound of Di Zi,
tā dōu huì ràng wǒ lián xiǎng dào gǔ dài de wǔ lín gāo shǒu.
它都会让我联想到古代的武林高手。
it reminds me of ancient martial arts masters.
dí zi jì shì tā men de yuè qì, yě shì tā men de wǔ qì, fēi cháng kù！
笛子既是他们的乐器，也是他们的武器，非常酷！
Di Zi is not only their instrument, but also their weapon. It's very cool!
tā men hái cháng cháng yòng dí zi fā chū àn hào,
他们还常常用笛子发出暗号，
They often use the flute to send out secret signals,
zhāo jí tā men de péng you huò zhě chuán dá tā men de xìn xī.
招集他们的朋友或者传达他们的信息。
to gather their friends or convey their messages.
琵琶 pí pá
pí pá, bèi chēng wéi “tán bō yuè qì zhī wáng”,
琵琶，被称为“弹拨乐器之王”，
Pi Pa, known as the "king of plucked string instruments",
tā shì zhōng guó mín yuè de zhǔ yào tán bō yuè qì,
它是中国民乐的主要弹拨乐器，
is the main plucked instrument of Chinese folk music,
yǐ yǒu liǎng qiān duō nián de lì shǐ.
已有两千多年的历史。
with a history of more than two thousand years.
pí pá shì mù zhì de, yīn xiāng shì bàn lí xíng de,
琵琶是木制的，音箱是半梨形的，
Pi Pa is made of wood, and the resonating chamber is semi-pear-shaped,
tā yǒu sì gēn xián.
它有四根弦。
It has four strings.
pí hé pá yuán shì liǎng zhǒng tán zòu shǒu fǎ de míng chēng，
琵和琶原是两种弹奏手法的名称，
Pi and Pa were originally the names of two styles of playing.
pí shì yòu shǒu xiàng qián tán,
琵是右手向前弹，
Pi is played forward with the right hand,
pá shì yòu shǒu xiàng hòu tán.
琶是右手向后弹。
and Pa is played backward with the right hand.
pí pá yīn yù guǎng kuò, yǎn zòu jì qiǎo fán duō，
琵琶音域广阔，演奏技巧繁多，
Pi Pa has a wide range of sound, various playing skills,
jù yǒu fēng fù de biǎo xiàn lì.
具有丰富的表现力。
and rich expressive power.
yǎn zòu shí zuǒ shǒu gè zhǐ àn xián yú xiāng yīng pǐn wèi chù,
演奏时左手各指按弦于相应品位处，
When playing, each finger of the left hand presses the string at the corresponding grade,
yòu shǒu dài jiǎ zhǐ jiǎ bō xián fā yīn.
右手戴假指甲拨弦发音。
and the right hand wears a fake nail to pluck the string to pronounce it.
zài táng dài shí qī, pí pá de fā zhǎn chū xiàn le yī gè gāo fēng.
在唐代时期，琵琶的发展出现了一个高峰。
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a peak in the development of Pi Pa.
dāng shí shàng zhì gōng tíng yuè duì, xià zhì mín jiān yǎn chàng,
当时上至宫廷乐队, 下至民间演唱,
At that time, from the court band to folk singing,
dōu shǎo bù liǎo pí pá,
都少不了琵琶,
the pipa was indispensable,
pí pá chéng wéi dāng shí fēi cháng shèng xíng de yuè qì.
琵琶成为当时非常盛行的乐器。
and the pipa became a very popular instrument at that time.
nǐ duì pí pá de shēng yīn yǒu shén me gǎn jué？
你对琵琶的声音有什么感觉？
How do you feel about the sound of Pi Pa?
nǐ xǐ huan tā de yīn sè ma？
你喜欢它的音色吗？
Do you like its tone colour?
měi cì dāng wǒ tīng dào pí pá de shēng yīn shí，
每次当我听到琵琶的声音时，
Every time I hear the sound of a Pi Pa,
tā dōu huì ràng wǒ xiǎng qǐ hěn duō jīng diǎn de gǔ dài shī cí.
它都会让我想起很多经典的古代诗词。
it reminds me of many classic ancient poems.
bǐ rú táng dài shī rén bái jū yì,
比如唐代诗人白居易,
For example, Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty,
bǐ rú táng dài shī rén bái jū yì zài tā de zhù míng shī piān《pí pá xíng》zhōng,
在他的著名诗篇《琵琶行》中,
in his famous poem "Xing of the Pipa":
fēi cháng xíng xiàng de duì pí pá yǎn zòu zhè yàng de miáo shù:
非常形象地对琵琶演奏这样的描述:
described the playing of Pi Pa vividly as:
dà xián cáo cáo rú jí yǔ, xiǎo xián qiè qiè rú sī yǔ.
“大弦嘈嘈如急雨，小弦切切如私语。
The big string is noisy like torrential rain, the small string is like a whisper.
cáo cáo qiè qiè cuò zá dàn, dà zhū xiǎo zhū luò yù pán.
嘈嘈切切错杂弹，大珠小珠落玉盘"。
Wailing and whispering interweave, like pearls large and small cascading on a plate of jade.
二胡 èr hú
èr hú shì wǒ guó dú jù mèi lì de lā xián yuè qì.
二胡是我国独具魅力的拉弦乐器。
Er Hu is a stringed instrument with unique charm in China.
tā kāi shǐ yú táng cháo, zhì jīn yǐ yǒu yī qiān duō nián de lì shǐ.
它开始于唐朝，至今已有一千多年的历史。
It began in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1000 years.
èr hú zhǐ yǒu liǎng gēn xián, chēng wéi nèi xián hé wài xián.
二胡只有两根弦，称为內弦和外弦。
Er Hu has only two strings, called inner and outer strings.
suǒ yǒu de yīn wèi dōu shì cóng xián shàng fā chū de.
所有的音位都是从弦上发出的。
All the pitches are emitted from the strings.
yīn wèi tā zhǐ yǒu liǎng gēn xián， suǒ yǐ qǔ míng wèi èr hú.
因为它只有两根弦，所以取名为二胡。
Because it has only two strings, it is named Er Hu.
suī rán èr hú zhǐ yǒu liǎng gēn xián,
虽然二胡只有两根弦，
Although the Er Hu has only two strings,
dàn tā néng fā chū guǎng kuò de yīn diào
但它能发出广阔的音调
it can emit a broad tone
hé mó nǐ gè zhǒng shēng yīn.
和模拟各种声音。
and simulate various sounds.
jì shì yí biǎo xiàn shēn chén, bēi qī de nèi róng,
既适宜表现深沉，悲凄的内容，
It is not only suitable for expressing deep and sad content,
yě néng miáo xiě qì shì zhuàng guān de yì jìng.
也能描写气势壮观的意境。
but also can describe a magnificent mood.
yīn sè jiē jìn rén shēng,
音色接近人声，
the timbre is close to the human voice,
qíng gǎn biǎo xiàn lì jí gāo.
情感表现力极高。
and the emotional expression is extremely high.
zěn me yàng? èr hú de shēng yīn gěi nǐ shén me yàng de gǎn jué？
怎么样？二胡的声音给你什么样的感觉？
What do you think? How does the sound of Er Hu make you feel?
wǒ jué de èr hú shì yī gè hěn shén qí de yuè qì.
我觉得二胡是一个很神奇的乐器。
I think Er Hu is a very magical instrument.
tā de shēng yīn hěn dú tè,
它的声音很独特，
Its sound is very unique
huì gěi rén liú xià hěn shēn kè de yìn xiàng.
会给人留下很深刻的印象。
and it will leave a deep impression on people.
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