Fànyīn 泛音

Tap a string halfway between the movable a straight fixed bridge with the middle or ring finger of the left hand. At the same time pluck that string with a finger from the right hand. The result is a delicate harmonic. The string plays a note one octave higher than its open note with a gentle and soft timbre.

Each string needs to be touched a different distance from the fixed bridge to produce its harmonic. Much like fretting an instrument, this shortens the length the string vibrates over, increasing the pitch of its sound.

If many fanyin will be played, the symbol is called Fàn qǐ 泛起, roughly meaning the starting point for the series of harmonics.