Se character variant

It names a plucked zither in the Chinese musical tradition.

瑟 is pronounced sè in Mandarin and names a long board instrument whose strings are plucked. Unicode IRG comments also describe 𭹥 as a variant of 筝 (zhēng), the character used for the related zheng or guzheng.

What was the se used for?

It accompanied singing and appeared in court ensembles.

Twelve se zithers lay in the 5th century BCE tomb of Marquis Yi, a ruler of Zeng, among a large musical ensemble. Written accounts also describe the se accompanying singing. Chinese court music included ritual and entertainment traditions.

The zheng was smaller, produced higher and brighter notes, and was easier to play, so it gradually displaced the se. After the Eastern Jin period, the old se construction had been lost; later instruments called se could follow the zheng's shape.