bianzhong means A set of bronze bells played to provide melody, of ancient Chinese origin. It carries an Arena rating of 1320, earned across 128 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, bianzhong ranks #1,626 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,259 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,312 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #2,494 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
bianzhong is pronounced /ˈbi.ænˈd͡ʒɔŋ/.
Why “bianzhong” is a great word
BIANZHONG — [Noun] A calibrated set of ancient Chinese bronze bells, cast to produce distinct musical pitches when struck, and arranged for melodic performance. From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 編鐘 / 编钟 (biānzhōng), from 編 / 编 (biān, "to arrange, to organize") + 鐘 / 钟 (zhōng, "bell"). Unlike the bianqing, which sings with the dry, crystalline chime of suspended stone, or a solitary yongzhong, which is but one distinct voice in the choir, a bianzhong is a sovereign metallurgical orchestra, a physical theorem of harmonic order. It is the dull gleam of patinated bronze in a tomb's eternal dusk, the precise, two-tone strike of a single bell’s twin pitches, and the clean, suspended decay of a note that hangs unlike any other—a permanent arrangement of sound cast in eternal bronze, an argument against entropy.
Etymology
From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 編鐘 /编钟 (biānzhōng).
noun
- A set of bronze bells played to provide melody, of ancient Chinese origin.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- bianqing 66% match — A set of qings, or sounding stones, used in Chinese music. vs bianzhong →
- windbell 58% match — Synonym of windchime. vs bianzhong →
- ching 57% match — A pair of small bowl-shaped finger cymbals made of thick and heavy bronze, used in the music of Thailand and Cambodia. vs bianzhong →
- carillon 57% match — A set of bells, often in a bell tower, sometimes operated by means of a keyboard (manual or pedal), originating from the Low Countries. vs bianzhong →
- bellringing 56% match — The ringing of bells, as performed by a bellringer. vs bianzhong →
- belloneon 56% match — A mechanical musical instrument consisting of twenty-four trumpets and two kettle drums. vs bianzhong →
- bellist 56% match — Someone who plays bells; a musical bell ringer. vs bianzhong →
- bonsho 56% match — A very large bell used in Buddhist temples in Japan to mark time and call monks in for prayer. vs bianzhong →