---
title: "Chinese Musical Instruments: Guzheng, Erhu, Pipa and More, Names in Chinese With Pinyin and Sound"
description: "40 traditional Chinese instruments and their names, from 古筝 and 二胡 to 琵琶, 笛子 and 唢呐, plus the piano, violin and guitar in Chinese, each with pinyin, what it is and sound."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-instruments"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

Free · 40 words

# Chinese musical instruments

[Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E5%8F%A4%E7%AD%9D%20%E5%8F%A4%E7%90%B4%20%E7%90%B5%E7%90%B6%20%E6%89%AC%E7%90%B4%20%E6%9F%B3%E7%90%B4%20%E9%98%AE%20%E4%B8%89%E5%BC%A6%20%E4%BA%8C%E8%83%A1%20%E4%BA%AC%E8%83%A1%20%E6%9D%BF%E8%83%A1%20%E9%A9%AC%E5%A4%B4%E7%90%B4%20%E7%AC%9B%E5%AD%90%20%E7%AE%AB%20%E5%94%A2%E5%91%90%20%E7%AC%99%20%E8%91%AB%E8%8A%A6%E4%B8%9D%20%E5%B7%B4%E4%B9%8C%20%E9%BC%93%20%E9%94%A3%20%E9%92%B9%20%E7%BC%96%E9%92%9F%20%E6%9C%A8%E9%B1%BC%20%E9%92%A2%E7%90%B4%20%E5%B0%8F%E6%8F%90%E7%90%B4%20%E5%A4%A7%E6%8F%90%E7%90%B4%20%E5%90%89%E4%BB%96%20%E9%95%BF%E7%AC%9B%20%E8%90%A8%E5%85%8B%E6%96%AF%20%E5%B0%8F%E5%8F%B7%20%E6%9E%B6%E5%AD%90%E9%BC%93%20%E5%8F%A3%E7%90%B4%20%E6%89%8B%E9%A3%8E%E7%90%B4%20%E4%B9%90%E5%99%A8%20%E6%B0%91%E4%B9%90%20%E4%B9%90%E9%98%9F%20%E7%90%B4%20%E7%9F%A5%E9%9F%B3%20%E9%AB%98%E5%B1%B1%E6%B5%81%E6%B0%B4%20%E5%AF%B9%E7%89%9B%E5%BC%B9%E7%90%B4%20%E7%90%B4%E6%A3%8B%E4%B9%A6%E7%94%BB)

Speed

## Plucked strings

gǔ古zhēng筝

guzheng (Chinese zither)

gǔ古qín琴

guqin (seven-stringed zither)

pí琵pa琶

pipa (Chinese lute)

yáng扬qín琴

yangqin; Chinese hammered dulcimer

liǔ柳qín琴

liuqin (small pear-shaped lute)

ruǎn阮

ruan (plucked string instrument)

sān三xián弦

sanxian (three-stringed plucked instrument)

## Bowed strings

èr二hú胡

erhu (two-stringed Chinese fiddle)

jīng京hú胡

jinghu (Peking opera fiddle)

bǎn板hú胡

banhu (two-stringed bowed instrument)

mǎ马tóu头qín琴

morin khuur; horsehead fiddle

## Winds

dí笛zi子

bamboo flute

xiāo箫

xiao (vertical bamboo flute)

suǒ唢nà呐

suona (Chinese double-reed horn)

shēng笙

sheng (Chinese reed mouth organ)

hú葫lu芦sī丝

hulusi; cucurbit flute (wind instrument from Yunnan)

bā巴wū乌

bawu (bamboo free-reed pipe)

## Drums, gongs and bells

gǔ鼓

drum

luó锣

gong

bó钹

cymbal

biān编zhōng钟

chime bells (ancient instrument)

mù木yú鱼

wooden fish (Buddhist percussion instrument)

## Western instruments in Chinese

gāng钢qín琴

piano

xiǎo小tí提qín琴

violin

dà大tí提qín琴

cello

jí吉tā他

guitar

cháng长dí笛

flute

sà萨kè克sī斯

saxophone

xiǎo小hào号

trumpet

jià架zi子gǔ鼓

drum kit; drum set

kǒu口qín琴

harmonica

shǒu手fēng风qín琴

accordion

## Music words and sayings

yuè乐qì器

musical instrument

mín民yuè乐

Chinese folk music; traditional Chinese instrumental music

yuè乐duì队

band; orchestra

qín琴

general term for stringed or keyboard instruments

zhī知yīn音

close friend who truly understands one; kindred spirit

gāo高shān山liú流shuǐ水

friendship of kindred spirits

duì对niú牛tán弹qín琴

to cast pearls before swine

qín琴qí棋shū书huà画

music, chess, calligraphy and painting (the four arts of a scholar)

## What are the most famous Chinese instruments?

古筝 (gǔzhēng, guzheng), 二胡 (èrhú, erhu), 琵琶 (pípa, pipa) and 笛子 (dízi, bamboo flute) are the ones most often heard in Chinese music today.

## What is the difference between the guzheng and the guqin?

Both are zithers. 古琴 (gǔqín, guqin) has seven strings and was the instrument of scholars, first of 琴棋书画 (qínqíshūhuà, music, chess, calligraphy and painting); 古筝 (gǔzhēng, guzheng) is larger, with many more strings.

## How do you say “play an instrument” in Chinese?

The verb follows how it is played: 弹 (tán) for plucked strings and keyboards (弹钢琴, 弹吉他), 拉 (lā) for bowed strings (拉二胡, 拉小提琴), 吹 (chuī) for winds (吹笛子) and 打 (dǎ) or 敲 (qiāo) for drums (打鼓).

## What does 知音 mean?

知音 (zhīyīn, close friend who truly understands one): literally “one who knows the tone”. It comes from a story about music, also told as 高山流水 (gāoshānliúshuǐ, friendship of kindred spirits).

## Can’t hear it?

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## More on music

- [Chinese songs with pinyin](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-songs)
- [Chinese words for hobbies](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-vocabulary/hobbies)
- [Chinese idioms by theme](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-idioms)
- [Chinese flower names](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flower-names)

Names, pinyin and what each instrument is from our own dictionary.