弹琴 (tán qín) literally means 'to pluck the zither' and specifically refers to playing the guqin — a traditional seven-stringed Chinese zither with over 3,000 years of history. The character 弹 (tán) means 'to pluck or strum' and is commonly used for stringed instruments, while 琴 (qín) is a generic term for zither-like instruments, but in this fixed compound it almost always denotes the guqin. Unlike broader terms like 演奏 (yǎn zòu, 'to perform'), 弹琴 carries classical, scholarly connotations and evokes quiet refinement, meditation, and literati culture.

This verb is typically used in formal, artistic, or historical contexts — not for modern Western instruments. It appears frequently in classical poetry, biographies of scholars, and descriptions of traditional leisure activities. While technically possible to use 弹琴 for other zithers (e.g., guzheng), doing so is uncommon and potentially misleading; native speakers usually specify the instrument explicitly if not referring to the guqin.