Bad Translations of Chinese Translations of Orchestral Instruments

Quite comical, yet clearly systematic. These literal re-translations reveal how the Chinese conceptualized these instruments and represented them in their language (often, via a characteristic or a material).

WINDS
Flute	long flute	长笛
Piccolo	short flute	短笛
Oboe	double reed pipe	双簧管
English horn	England pipe	英国管
Clarinet	single reed pipe	单簧管
Bass clarinet	low tone single reed pipe	低音单簧管
Bassoon	big pipe	大管
Contrabassoon	low tone big pipe	低音大管
BRASS
Horn	round horn	圆号
Trumpet	little horn, or pee (slang)	小号
Trombone	long horn	长号
Tuba	big horn, or poop (slang)	大号
PERCUSSION
Timpani	low tone drum	低音鼓
Triangle	three angle iron	三角铁
Glockenspiel	bell instrument	钟琴
Xylophone	wood instrument	木琴
Bass drum	big drum	大鼓
Snare drum	little drum, little military drum	小鼓，小军鼓
Castanet	sound plank	响板
MISC
Piano	steel instrument	钢琴
Celesta	steel sheet instrument	钢片琴
Accordion	Russian hand wind instrument	俄式手风琴
Harp	vertical instrument	竖琴
STRINGS
Violin	little lifted instrument	小提琴
Viola	middle lifted instrument	中提琴
Cello	big lifted instrument	大提琴
Bass	double low tone lifted instrument	倍低音提琴

Of special note is how they translate the stringed instruments as “lifted” instruments, even if it’s just the violin and viola that are lifted to the shoulder. This perhaps implies that they were likely first familiar with the violin (viola works too, I guess, but it probably wasn’t the viola…sorry, violists) and applied size labels retroactively after the introduction of the other instruments of the family.

I also find it interesting how the word that came to mean “instrument” is itself an instrument, the qin, an ancient Chinese zither. It’s interesting to consider how this instrument, so incredibly important to Chinese cultural history, became the “mother,” linguistically speaking, of all other instruments.

Food for thought, as far as thinking about instruments is concerned!