少吟half vibrato
Pinyin: shǎo yín
Vibrato and glidesAlso written: 小吟
Only about half the swings of an ordinary yin, short and light.
How it is played
The same motion as yin with roughly half the number of swings, stopping as soon as the point is made; exactly how many depends on the tension of the strings and the length of the ring.
How it sounds
The ring trembles once or twice and settles, never stealing attention.
In the classical handbooks
比吟之一半也。其音之多寡，看琴之緊慢是也。Gist: Half of a yin. How many sounds depends on whether the qin's strings are tight or slack.
Easily confused with
- 略吟lüè yín· slight vibratoLüe yin is shorter still, about “half of a half yin”.