The body or sound box of the pipa is made of light wutong wood and the back is made of teak. The pipa has four strings that represent the four seasons of the earth, that is summer, spring, winter, and autumn. The three feet represent the three realms which are heaven, earth, and man, while the five feet represent the five elements which are fire, earth, wood, metal, and water.

Interesting right? The pear-shaped part of the instrument, by traditional Chinese metrics measures three feet five inches. All the parts of the pipa have a spiritual aspect to them. The construction of the pipa was not by luck but was thoroughly thought of. The name “Pipa” is also an onomatopoeic name that describes the sound produced by the strings when the strings of the instrument are plucked. The name “Pipa” was derived from how the instrument was played, “Pi” meaning to play forward and “Pa” meaning to play backward. It is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for almost two millenniums in China as a solo instrument or in ensemble settings. The pipa, sometimes called the Chinese lute is a pear-shaped, traditional Chinese musical instrument that belongs to the plucked string category of instruments.

Instrument in a chinese opera crossword