琴瑟不调 qín sè bù tiáo

marital discord; not in harmony

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. marital discord, cf qin and se 琴瑟qín sè, two string instruments as symbol of marital harmony
  2. 2. out of tune

Characters

Character Meaning
琴 qín HSK 4
musical instrument in general
瑟 sè
ancient string instrument
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
调 tiáo HSK 3
to transfer; to move (troops or cadres); to investigate