𐽷𐽳𐽺𐽷𐽲𐽰𐽳

Old Uyghur

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 箜篌 (kʰuŋ ɦəu).

Due to sparse attestation and repeated borrowings from the Chinese source at different points in time, there are many variants of this word. Forms attested here is by no means exhaustive.

Noun

𐽷𐽳𐽺𐽷𐽲𐽰𐽳 or 𐽷𐽳𐽺𐽷𐽲𐽰𐽶𐽳 or 𐽷𐽳𐽺𐽷𐽵𐽰𐽳 or 𐽲𐾄𐽳𐽺𐽷𐽲𐾄𐽰𐽳 or 𐽷𐽳𐽹𐽷𐽰𐽳 or 𐽲𐾄𐽳𐽺𐽵𐽶𐽳 (kuŋgau or kuŋgayu or kuŋhau or kuŋkau or kumkau or kuŋhyu)

1. (music) a type of plucked string instrument; lute, komuz, cobza etc.

   Synonym: 𐽲𐽳𐽼𐽳𐽴 (qopuz)

   • c. 11th century, Story of Prince Kalyāṇaṃkara and Papamkara, LXXX.3:

     𐽰𐽳𐾁 𐽰𐽳𐽸𐽽𐽶 𐽰𐽾 𐽼𐽶𐽾 𐽷𐽳𐽺𐽷𐽲𐽰𐽳 𐾀𐽶𐾁𐽰𐽼 𐽷𐽰𐾁𐽳𐽾𐽸𐽶 𐽼𐽶𐽾𐽸𐽶 𐾈

     Ol udčï er bir kungau tilep kelürdi, bérdi.

     The herdsman asked for a lute and gave it to him.

Derived terms

• 𐽷𐽳𐽺𐽷𐽲𐽰𐽳𐽽𐽶 (kuŋgaučï, “lute player”)

References

• Caferoğlu, Ahmet (1968) “ḳungḳau”, in Eski Uygur Türkçesi Sözlüğü (Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları; 260) (in Turkish), Istanbul: Edebiyat Fakültesi Basımevi, page 186
• Hamilton, James (2020) Korkut, Ece, Birkan, İsmet, transl., Budacı İyi Kalpli ve Kötü Kalpli Prens Masalının Uygurcası - Prens Kalyāṇaṃkara ve Pāpaṃkara Hikâyesi (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları, →ISBN, page 168
• Wilkens, Jens (2021) “kuŋhau”, in Handworterbuch des Altuigurischen, Göttingen: Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, page 424