sheng

I

(Chinese; "sage" or "saint")

In Chinese belief, a mortal who attains extraordinary or supernatural powers by self-cultivation and serves as a model for others.

Confucius used the term to refer to exemplary rulers of the past.

II

(as used in expressions)

Adalbert Saint

Agatha Saint

Agnes Saint

Aidan Saint

Albertus Magnus Saint

Alexander Nevsky Saint

Ambrose Saint

Andrew Saint

Angilbert Saint

Anselm of Canterbury Saint

Ansgar Saint

Anthony of Egypt Saint

Anthony of Padua Saint

Aquinas Saint Thomas

Athanasius Saint

Augustine of Hippo Saint

Augustine of Canterbury Saint

Barbara Saint

Barnabas Saint

Bartholomew Saint

Basil the Great Saint

Becket Saint Thomas

Bede Saint

Bellarmine Saint Robert

Benedict of Nursia Saint

Bernadette of Lourdes Saint

Bernard de Clairvaux Saint

Bernardine of Siena Saint

Bolingbroke Henry Saint John 1st Viscount

Bonaventure Saint

Boniface Saint

Borromeo Saint Charles

Brébeuf Saint Jean de

Brendan Saint

Bridget Saint

Bruno of Querfurt Saint

Saint Boniface of Querfurt

Cabrini Saint Frances Xavier

Catherine of Alexandria Saint

Catherine of Siena Saint

Cecilia Saint

Christopher Saint

Chrysostom Saint John

Ciaran of Clonmacnoise Saint

Clare of Assisi Saint

Clement of Alexandria Saint

Columba Saint

Columban Saint

Cuthbert Saint

Cyprian Saint

Cyril of Alexandria Saint

Cyril of Jerusalem Saint

Denis Saint

Saint Denys

Dominic Saint

Drexel Saint Katherine

Dunstan of Canterbury Saint

East Saint Louis Race Riot

Edward the Confessor Saint

Elizabeth of Hungary Saint

Francis de Sales Saint

Francis of Assisi Saint

Gelasius I Saint

George Saint

Godfrey of Saint Victor

Great Saint Bernard Pass

Gregory I Saint

Gregory of Nazianzus Saint

Gregory of Nyssa Saint

Gregory of Tours Saint

Gregory VII Saint

Helena Saint

Hugh of Saint Victor

Ignatius of Antioch Saint

Irenaeus Saint

Isidore of Sevilla Saint

James Saint

Jerome Saint

Joan of Arc Saint

John of Damascus Saint

Saint John Damascene

John the Baptist Saint

Joseph Saint

Justin Martyr Saint

Kolbe Saint Maksymilian Maria

Saint Ladislas

Lawrence Saint

Saint Laurence

Leo I Saint

Leo IX Saint

Loyola Saint Ignatius of

Luke Saint

Malachy Saint

Margaret of Antioch Saint

Saint Marina

Margaret of Scotland Saint

Mark the Evangelist Saint

Martin of Tours Saint

Mary Magdalene Saint

Matthew Saint

Mesrob Saint

Saint Mesrop Mashtots

Mont Saint Michel

More Saint Thomas

Neri Saint Philip

Nerses I the Great Saint

Newtown Saint Boswells

Nicholas Saint

Saint Olaf

Olga Saint

Saint Helga

Palamas Saint Gregory

Patrick Saint

patron saint

Paul Saint

Peter Damian Saint

Peter the Apostle Saint

Photius Saint

Pius V Saint

Pius X Saint

Plunket Saint Oliver

Raymond of Saint Gilles

Raymond of Peñafort Saint

Rose of Lima Saint

Saint Albans Raid

Saint Andrews

Saint Andrews University of

Saint Augustine

Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre of

Saint Basil the Blessed

Saint Bernard

Saint Clair Lake

Saint Croix

Saint Elias Mountains

Saint Elmo's fire

Saint Francis River

Saint George's

Saint George's Channel

Saint Gotthard Pass

Saint Helena

Saint Helens Mount

Saint John

Saint John River

Saint John's

Saint Johns River

Saint Kitts Nevis

Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Laurent Louis Stephen

Saint Laurent Yves Henri Donat Mathieu

Saint Lawrence Gulf of

Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence Seaway

Saint Louis

Saint Lucia

Saint Mark's Basilica

Saint Martin

Saint Paul

Saint Paul River

Saint Paul's Cathedral

Saint Peter's Basilica

Saint Petersburg

Saint Thomas

Saint Vincent Cape

Saint Vincent Gulf

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Cloud porcelain

Saint Denis

Saint Exupéry Antoine Marie Roger de

Saint Gaudens Augustus

Saint Germain Treaty of

Saint Jean Lac

Saint John's wort

Saint Just Louis Antoine Léon de

Saint Léon Charles Victor Arthur Michel

Saint Malo Gulf of

Saint Maurice River

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Saë ns Charles Camille

Saint Simon Claude Henri de Rouvroy comte de

Sebastian Saint

Seton Saint Elizabeth Ann

Simeon Stylites Saint

Saint Stephen

Stephen Saint

Teresa of Ávila Saint

Theodore of Canterbury Saint

Thérèse of Lisieux Saint

Thomas Saint

Ursula Saint

Vardan Mamikonian Saint

Vincent de Paul Saint

Vladimir I Saint

Wilfrid Saint

Xavier Saint Francis

Crèvecoeur Michel Guillaume Saint Jean de

John of the Cross Saint

John the Apostle Saint

Montcalm de Saint Véran Louis Joseph de Montcalm Grozon marquis de

Northcliffe of Saint Peter Alfred Charles William Harmsworth Viscount

Saint John Perse

Marie René Auguste Aléxis Saint Léger Léger

House of the Hospitallers of Saint Mary of the Teutons

All Saints' Day

Cyril and Methodius Saints

Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Le Sage

Sage Russell

Sager Ruth

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▪ musical instrument

  Chinese free reed wind instrument consisting of usually 17 bamboo pipes set in a small wind-chest into which a musician blows through a mouthpiece. Each pipe has a free reed, made of metal (or formerly of bamboo or reed), that vibrates to produce sound when a finger hole on the pipe is covered. The acoustical length of each pipe is determined by a slot in the back of the pipe. The pipes, which are of five different lengths, are arranged in two triangular shapes to symbolize the folded wings of a phoenix bird. In addition to the traditional 13-, 14-, and 17-pipe sets, there are 21- and 24-pipe sets as well as a 36-pipe set based on the chromatic scale, with all 12 semitones. Other modern variants also exist. Images of sheng-like instruments exist from 1100 BC, and actual instruments survive from the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD).

      Several instruments were derived from the sheng, including the Japanese shō and the Korean saenghwang. The Chinese instrument plays melodies with occasional fourth or fifth harmonies (e.g., F or G above C), whereas the Japanese shō normally plays 11-note chords, a tradition that may have emerged from a misinterpretation of ancient court notations. Contemporary Chinese ensembles include the larger sheng which is capable of playing Western chords.

      Instruments similar to the sheng are found throughout Southeast Asia, notably the khaen of Laos and parts of Thailand and Vietnam. A sheng taken to Russia in the 1770s helped to stimulate the invention of European instruments using free reeds—including the accordion, concertina, harmonium, and harmonica.

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