| 正弦 | zhèng xián | sine (of angle), written sin θ |
| 和弦 | hé xián | chord (music) |
| 弦 | xián | bow string; string of musical instrument; watchspring; chord (segment of curve); hypotenuse; CL:根 |
| 余弦 | yú xián | cosine (of angle), written cos θ |
| 定弦 | dìng xián | tuning (stringed instrument) |
| 正弦波 | zhèng xián bō | sine wave; simple harmonic vibration |
| 三和弦 | sān hé xián | triad; musical chord of three notes, such as major triad do-mi-so |
| 上弦 | shàng xián | to wind; to tighten; crescent moon; first quarter or waxing moon |
| 弦乐器 | xián yuè qì | string instrument |
| 正弦定理 | zhèng xián dìng lǐ | law of sines |
| 弦切角 | xián qiē jiǎo | chord angle (i.e. angle a chord of a curve makes to the tangent) |
| 下弦 | xià xián | third quarter or waning moon |
| 管弦乐 | guǎn xián yuè | orchestral music |
| 三弦 | sān xián | sanxian, large family of 3-stringed plucked musical instruments, with snakeskin covered wooden soundbox and long neck, used in folk music, opera and Chinese orchestra |
| 管弦乐队 | guǎn xián yuè duì | orchestra |
| 七和弦 | qī hé xián | seventh (musical cord) |
| 七弦琴 | qī xián qín | guqin or seven-stringed zither |
| 上弦月 | shàng xián yuè | first quarter moon |
| 下弦月 | xià xián yuè | third quarter or waning moon |
| 主和弦 | zhǔ hé xián | tonic triad; triad of the home key |
| 促弦 | cù xián | to tighten the strings (of a musical instrument) |
| 增三和弦 | zēng sān hé xián | augmented triad (musical chord) |
| 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 |
| 弓弦 | gōng xián | bowstring |
| 弓弦儿 | gōng xiánr | bowstring |
| 弦外之意 | xián wài zhī yì | variant of 弦外之音, overtone (idiom); meaning beyond the words; implied meaning; reading between the lines |
| 弦外之音 | xián wài zhī yīn | overtone (idiom); meaning beyond the words; implied meaning; reading between the lines |
| 弦外之响 | xián wài zhī xiǎng | variant of 弦外之音, overtone (idiom); meaning beyond the words; implied meaning; reading between the lines |
| 弦数 | xián shù | number of strings (of an instrument) |
| 弦月 | xián yuè | half-moon; the 7th and 8th and 22nd and 23rd of the lunar month |
| 弦月窗 | xián yuè chuāng | a narrow slit window; a lunette |
| 弦乐 | xián yuè | string music |
| 弦乐队 | xián yuè duì | a string orchestra |
| 弦歌 | xián gē | song to stringed accompaniment |
| 弦理论 | xián lǐ lùn | string theory |
| 弦而鼓之 | xián ér gǔ zhī | lit. to tune one's zither then play it; fig. to live by the consequences of one's actions; to make one's bed then lie on it |
| 弦诵不缀 | xián sòng bù chuò | variant of 弦诵不辍 |
| 弦诵不辍 | xián sòng bù chuò | incessant playing of instruments and reciting of poems (idiom) |
| 弦论 | xián lùn | string theory (in theoretical physics) |
| 弦贝斯 | xián bèi sī | acoustic bass (guitar) |
| 弦鸣乐器 | xián míng yuè qì | string instrument |
| 心弦 | xīn xián | heartstrings |
| 扣人心弦 | kòu rén xīn xián | to excite; to thrill; exciting; thrilling; cliff-hanging |
| 拨弦乐器 | bō xián yuè qì | plucked string or stringed instrument; plucked instrument |
| 击弦贝斯 | jī xián bèi sī | slap bass (bass guitar technique) |
| 击弦类 | jī xián lèi | hammered string type (of musical instrument) |
| 击弦类乐器 | jī xián lèi yuè qì | hammered string musical instrument |
| 改弦易辙 | gǎi xián yì zhé | change of string, move out of rut (idiom); dramatic change of direction; to dance to a different tune |
| 断弦 | duàn xián | widowed; lit. broken string, cf 琴瑟 qin and se, two instruments epitomizing marital harmony |
