Etymology
Borrowed from Mandarin 阮 (short for 阮咸, ruǎnxián).
Noun
ruan (plural ruans)
- (music) A Chinese long-necked fretted round-bodied plucked lute which has, since the mid-20th century, been produced in a family of five sizes (from low to high).
Synonyms
- ruanqin (mainly in reference to Taiwan)
Hyponyms
- gaoyinruan (soprano)
- xiaoruan (alto)
- zhongruan (tenor)
- daruan (bass)
- diyinruan (contrabass)