List of Chinese musical instruments

Chinese musical instruments have a long and rich history, and they are usually sorted into eight main groups based on the materials they are made from. These groups are called bā yīn (八音). The eight categories include silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd, and skin. This way of grouping instruments by material is one of the earliest systems ever created for organizing music. Many traditional Chinese instruments fit into these groups, although some may not. Learning about these instruments helps us understand the beautiful music and culture of China.

Silk

Silk (絲) instruments are mostly stringed instruments (including those that are plucked, bowed, and struck). Since ancient times, the Chinese have used twisted silk for strings, though today metal or nylon are more frequently used. Instruments in the silk category include:

Plucked

• Guqin (Chinese: 古琴; pinyin: gǔqín) – 7-stringed zithers
• Se (Chinese: 瑟; pinyin: sè) – 25-stringed zither with movable bridges (ancient sources say 14, 25 or 50 strings)^{[citation needed]}
• Zheng (古箏) – 16–26 stringed zither with movable bridges
• Konghou (箜篌) – harp
• Huluqin (葫芦琴) – four-stringed lute with gourd body used by the Naxi people of Yunnan
• Huleiqin (忽雷琴) - pear-shaped lute slightly smaller than the pipa, with 2 strings and body covered with snakeskin; it was used during the Tang dynasty but is no longer used
• Pipa (琵琶) – pear-shaped fretted lute with 4 or 5 strings
• Liuqin (柳琴) – small plucked, fretted lute with a pear-shaped body and four and five strings
• Ruan (Chinese: 阮; pinyin: ruǎn) – moon-shaped lute in five sizes: gaoyin-, xiao-, zhong-, da-, and diyin-; sometimes called ruanqin (阮琴)
• Yueqin (月琴) – plucked lute with a wooden body, a short fretted neck, and four strings tuned in pairs
• Qinqin (秦琴) – plucked lute with a wooden body and fretted neck; also called meihuaqin (梅花琴, literally "plum blossom instrument", from its flower-shaped body)
• Sanxian (三弦) – plucked lute with body covered with snakeskin and long fretless neck; the ancestor of the Japanese shamisen
• Duxianqin (simplified Chinese: 独弦琴; traditional Chinese: 獨弦琴) – the instrument of the Jing people (Vietnamese people in China), a plucked, monochord zither with only one string, tuned to C3.
• Komuz (火不思) – a plucked long-necked lute of Turkic origin
• Tembor (弹拨尔) – a fretted plucked long-necked lute with five strings in three courses, used in Uyghur traditional music of Xinjiang
• Dutar (都塔尔) – a fretted plucked long-necked lute with two strings, used in Uyghur traditional music of Xinjiang
• Rawap (热瓦普 or 热瓦甫) – a fretless plucked long-necked lute used in Uyghur traditional music of Xinjiang
• Đàn tính (天琴) - a 3 strings plucked lute of Zhuang people in Guangxi.
• Qiben (起奔) - a four strings plucked lute of Lisu people
• Wanqin (弯琴: shaped like a dragon boat. Its shape is very similar to Myanmar's saung-gauk. Another variation of the wanqin held in the form of a harp with four strings was found in a painting of Feitian in Mogao caves, Dunhuang province.
• Kongqin (孔琴): A pear-shaped ruan with five strings similar to ukulele

Bowed

• Huqin (胡琴) – family of vertical fiddles
• Erhu (二胡) – two-stringed fiddle
• Zhonghu (中胡) – two-stringed fiddle, lower pitch than an erhu
• Gaohu (高胡) – two-stringed fiddle, higher pitch than an erhu; also called yuehu (粤胡)
• Banhu (板胡) – two-stringed fiddle with a coconut resonator and wooden face, used primarily in northern China
• Jinghu (京胡) – two-stringed fiddle (piccolo erhu), very high pitched, used mainly for Beijing opera
• Jing erhu (京二胡) – erhu used in Beijing opera
• Erxian (二弦) – two-stringed fiddle, used in Cantonese, Chaozhou, and nanguan music
• Tiqin (提琴) – two-stringed fiddle, used in kunqu, Chaozhou, Cantonese, Fujian, and Taiwanese music
• Yehu (椰胡) – two-stringed fiddle with coconut body, used primarily in Cantonese and Chaozhou music
• Daguangxian (大广弦) – two-stringed fiddle used in Taiwan and Fujian, primarily by Min Nan and Hakka people; also called datongxian (大筒弦), guangxian (广弦), and daguanxian (大管弦)
• Datong (大筒) – two-stringed fiddle used in the traditional music of Hunan
• Kezaixian (壳仔弦) – two-stringed fiddle with coconut body, used in Taiwan opera
• Liujiaoxian (六角弦) – two-stringed fiddle with hexagonal body, similar to the jing erhu; used primarily in Taiwan
• Tiexianzai (鐵弦仔) – a two-stringed fiddle with metal amplifying horn at the end of its neck, used in Taiwan; also called guchuixian (鼓吹弦)
• Hexian (和弦) – large fiddle used primarily among the Hakka of Taiwan
• Huluhu (simplified Chinese: 葫芦胡; traditional Chinese: 葫盧胡) – two-stringed fiddle with gourd body used by the Zhuang of Guangxi
• Maguhu (simplified Chinese: 马骨胡; traditional Chinese: 馬骨胡; pinyin: mǎgǔhú) – two-stringed fiddle with horse bone body used by the Zhuang and Buyei peoples of southern China
• Tuhu (土胡) – two-stringed fiddle used by the Zhuang people of Guangxi
• Jiaohu (角胡) – two-stringed fiddle used by the Gelao people of Guangxi, as well as the Miao and Dong
• Liuhu (六胡) - six-stringed fiddle of Mongolian people in Inner Mongolia
• Sihu (四胡) – four-stringed fiddle with strings tuned in pairs
• Sanhu (三胡) – 3-stringed erhu with an additional bass string; developed in the 1970s
• Zhuihu (simplified Chinese: 坠胡; traditional Chinese: 墜胡) – two-stringed fiddle with fingerboard
• Zhuiqin (simplified Chinese: 坠琴; traditional Chinese: 墜琴) – two-stringed fiddle with fingerboard
• Leiqin (雷琴) – two-stringed fiddle with fingerboard
• Dihu (低胡) – low pitched two-stringed fiddles in the erhu family, in three sizes:
  • Xiaodihu (小低胡) – small dihu, tuned one octave below the erhu
  • Zhongdihu (中低胡) – medium dihu, tuned one octave below the zhonghu
  • Dadihu (大低胡) – large dihu, tuned two octaves below the erhu
• Dahu (大胡) – another name for the xiaodihu
• Cizhonghu – another name for the xiaodihu
• Gehu – four-stringed bass instrument, tuned and played like cello
• Diyingehu (低音革胡) – four-stringed contrabass instrument, tuned and played like double bass
• Laruan (拉阮) – four-stringed bowed instrument modeled on the cello
• Paqin (琶琴) – bowed pear-shaped lute
• Dapaqin (大琶琴) – bass paqin
• Niutuiqin or niubatui (牛腿琴 or 牛巴腿) – two-stringed fiddle used by the Dong people of Guizhou
• Matouqin (馬頭琴) – (Mongolian: morin khuur) – Mongolian two-stringed "horsehead fiddle"
• Xiqin (奚琴) – ancient prototype of huqin family of instruments
• Shaoqin (韶琴) - electric huqin
• Yazheng (simplified Chinese: 轧筝; traditional Chinese: 軋箏) – bowed zither; also called yaqin (simplified Chinese: 轧琴; traditional Chinese: 軋琴)
• Wenzhenqin (文枕琴) – a zither with 9 strings bowed
• Zhengni (琤尼) – bowed zither; used by the Zhuang people of Guangxi
• Ghaychak (艾捷克) – four-stringed bowed instrument used in Uyghur traditional music of Xinjiang; similar to kamancheh
• Sataer (萨塔尔 or 萨它尔) – long-necked bowed lute with 13 strings used in Uyghur traditional music of Xinjiang. 1 playing string and 12 sympathetic strings.
• Khushtar (胡西它尔) – a four-stringed bowed instrument used in Uyghur traditional music of Xinjiang.

Struck

• Yangqin (揚琴) – hammered dulcimer
• Zhu (筑) – a zither similar to a guzheng, played with a bamboo mallet
• Niujinqin (牛筋琴) – a zither used to accompany traditional narrative singing in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. Similar to a se but played with a bamboo mallet.

Combined

• Wenqin (文琴) – a combination of the erhu, konghou, sanxian and guzheng with 50 or more steel strings.

Bamboo

Bamboo mainly refers to woodwind instruments. These include several types of flutes such as the Dizi, a transverse bamboo flute with a buzzing membrane, and the Xiao, an end-blown flute also known as dongxiao. Other flutes include the Paixiao, which are pan pipes, and the ancient transverse bamboo flute called Chi.

There are also free reed pipes like the Bawu, a side-blown pipe with finger holes, and the Guan, a cylindrical double-reed instrument made from hardwood or bamboo. The Suona is another double-reed wind instrument with a flaring metal bell.

Wood

Most wood instruments are from ancient times. They include:

• Zhu – a wooden box that narrows from top to bottom, played with a stick to start ancient ritual music.
• Yu – a wooden percussion instrument shaped like a tiger, played with a special stick to end the music.
• Muyu – a rounded woodblock shaped like a fish, struck with a wooden stick and used in Buddhist chanting.
• Paiban – a clapper made from flat pieces of wood, sometimes called bǎn, tánbǎn, mùbǎn, or shūbǎn. When used with a drum, the pair is called guban.
• Bangzi – a small, high-pitched woodblock, also known as qiaozi or qiaoziban in Taiwan.

Stone

The stone category includes different kinds of stone chimes. One type is called Bianqing, which is a rack of stone tablets hung by ropes from a wooden frame and hit with a mallet. Another is Tezhong, a single large stone tablet hung by a rope in a wooden frame and also struck with a mallet.

Metal (金)

Chinese musical instruments made from metal include many beautiful and interesting sounds. One example is the Bianzhong, which consists of 16 to 65 bronze bells hung on a rack and struck with poles to make music.

Other metal instruments include Fangxiang, a set of tuned metal slabs, and Nao, which can be an ancient bell or large cymbals. There are also different kinds of cymbals like Bo, such as small, medium, and large cymbals, each with its own name and use. Luo refers to various gongs, including large and small ones used in different kinds of music.

Additionally, there are instruments like Yunluo, which are small tuned gongs in a frame, and Qing, a cup-shaped bell used in special ceremonies. Other metal instruments include Pengling, small bowl-shaped bells connected by a cord, and Dangzi, a small round gong tied with silk string. There are many other metal instruments, each with its own special sound and history.

Clay (土)

Chinese musicians have made some interesting instruments from clay. One is called the Xun (埙, Chinese: 塤). It is a small, round flute made from baked clay, similar to an ocarina. Another clay instrument is the Fou, a clay pot that people hit to make music. There is also the Taodi (Chinese: 陶笛).

Gourd (匏)

Some Chinese musical instruments are made using gourds. The Sheng (笙; shēng) is a free reed mouth organ with bamboo pipes inside a metal chamber (which was once made from gourds or hardwood) and has finger holes. A larger version of the Sheng is called the Baosheng.

Another ancient instrument is the Yu (竽; yú), which is similar to the Sheng but usually bigger. The Hulusi (葫芦丝; húlúsī) is a free-reed wind instrument with three bamboo pipes passing through a gourd. One pipe has finger holes, and the other two are drone pipes, and it is mainly used in Yunnan. The Hulusheng (葫芦笙; húlúshēng) is another free-reed mouth organ with a gourd chamber, also used in Yunnan. There is also a Northern China version called Fangsheng.

Hide-skin (革)

Chinese musicians use many different kinds of drums made from animal skin. Some of these drums are large, like the Dagu (大鼓), which is played with two sticks. There are also smaller drums, like the Bangu (板鼓), used in special performances such as Beijing opera.

Other drums include the Paigu (排鼓), a set of tuned drums played with sticks, and the Tanggu (堂鼓), a medium-sized drum also played with sticks. Some drums have special shapes, like the flowerpot-shaped Huapengu (花盆鼓), and others are used for particular styles of music, like the Diangu, which is used in Jiangsu province. There are even drums used for celebrating and storytelling, such as the Bajiaogu, an octagonal tambourine from northern China.

Others

Here are some other traditional Chinese musical instruments:

• Gudi – an ancient flute made of bone
• Hailuo – a conch shell
• Lilie – a reed wind instrument played by the Li people of Hainan
• Lusheng – a free-reed mouth organ with five or six pipes, used by ethnic groups in southwest China and nearby areas
• Kouxian – a jaw harp made of bamboo or metal
• Yedi – a tree leaf used as a wind instrument
• Shuijingdi - a crystal flute
• Zutongqin - a bamboo tube instrument

Playing contexts

Chinese musical instruments can be played alone, in big groups like in old royal courts, or in smaller groups in places such as teahouses and public meetings. In traditional Chinese music, there usually isn’t a conductor, and musicians don’t read from musical scores or notes. Instead, they learn the music by listening and remember it before they play. In the 20th century, musical scores started being used more often, and conductors began leading larger orchestra-style groups.

Musical instruments in use in the 1800s

These beautiful old paintings from China in the 1800s show women playing many different musical instruments. Some of the instruments include the dizi, erhu, luo, pipa, sanxian, yunluo, xiaoluo, haotou, xiao, and possibly a yangqin or a similar instrument. These pictures give us a glimpse into how music was enjoyed a long time ago in China.