What is the qin musical instrument?

The qin is a fretless Chinese board zither with seven strings. Traditionally, its length symbolized the 365 days of the year. The qin is lacquered and adorned with 13 inlays that mark pitch positions. Its silk strings, varying in thickness, are tuned pentatonically, with the thickest string farthest from the player. The instrument features a sound board, usually of paulownia wood, with a flat base made of Chinese catalpa. The underside has two sound holes called the "dragon pond" and "phoenix pool". Symbolically rich, the qin represents the union of heaven, earth, and humankind, with its sounds embodying these elements. Its notation includes pitches and hand movements, utilizing plucked and stopped strings and harmonics, played only with bare fingers. The qin has been treasured by Chinese intellectuals and Confucianists as a symbol of high culture.

Where and when did the qin originate?

The qin is a fretless Chinese board zither with seven strings. Though its history stretches back to legendary times, mentions of it appear in oracle-bone inscriptions and the Shijing ("Classic of Poetry"), China's first poetry anthology. The design of the qin was not standardized until the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE). By the time of Ji Kang (224–263 CE), the design seems to have been standardized. Treasured by Chinese intellectuals and Confucianists, the qin symbolizes high culture and is often featured in landscapes with sages.

What does the qin look like and how is it played?

The qin is a fretless Chinese board zither with seven strings. Its body, traditionally representing the 365 days of the year, is lacquered and inlaid with 13 dots of ivory, jade, or mother-of-pearl to indicate pitch positions. The silk strings are tuned pentatonically, stretched over a sound board of paulownia wood with a flat base, and are fastened by pegs called "goose feet." To play the qin, one plucks and stops the strings using bare fingers to produce varied sounds: sanyin (open), fanyin (harmonics), and anyin (stopped). These sounds symbolize earth, heaven, and humankind, respectively. The instrument employs over 30 performance techniques, and its notation is written in tablature.

What materials are commonly used to make a qin?

The qin is a fretless Chinese zither traditionally crafted to represent the 365 days of the year in length. The body is lacquered and inlaid with 13 dots of ivory, jade or mother-of-pearl. The sound board is usually made of paulownia wood, while the base is made of zi, or Chinese catalpa. The strings are silk with graduated thickness and are stretched over the sound board. The high bridge is called the "great mountain", the low bridge is called the "dragon's gums", and the pegs are called the "goose feet".

How is music written and performed on the qin?

The qin is a fretless Chinese zither with seven strings. Its body traditionally represents the 365 days of the year. Thirteen inlays mark pitch positions on the upper string. The silk strings are tuned pentatonically, with the thickest string farthest from the player. Qin notation indicates pitches and hand movements. Performers use plucked and stopped strings, as well as harmonics, using only their bare fingers. Symbolizing the union of heaven, earth, and humankind, the qin produces three timbres: open sounds (earth), harmonics (heaven), and stopped sounds (humans). There are more than 30 performance techniques, and notation is written in tablature. Over 100 tablature manuals exist, containing more than 3,000 pieces of music.

Why is the qin important in Chinese history and culture?

The qin is a seven-stringed fretless Chinese zither that dates back to ancient times. The design of the qin was standardized by the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE). For centuries, the qin has been revered by Chinese intellectuals and Confucianists as a symbol of high culture. The well-educated were expected to be skilled in playing the qin, calligraphy, chess, and brush painting. The instrument is rich with symbolism; its top and bottom represent heaven and earth. In performance, the qin symbolizes the union of heaven, earth, and humankind.

qin

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Wade-Giles romanization:: ch’in

Also called:: guqin (Chinese “ancient zither”) or qixianqin (Chinese “seven-stringed zither”)

Related Topics:: hui; longyin; yanzhu; longchi; fengzhao

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qin

musical instrument

Also known as: ch’in, chyn, guqin, qixianqin

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What is the qin musical instrument?
The qin is a fretless Chinese board zither with seven strings. Traditionally, its length symbolized the 365 days of the year. The qin is lacquered and adorned with 13 inlays that mark pitch positions. Its silk strings, varying in thickness, are tuned pentatonically, with the thickest string farthest from the player. The instrument features a sound board, usually of paulownia wood, with a flat base made of Chinese catalpa.

The underside has two sound holes called the "dragon pond" and "phoenix pool". Symbolically rich, the qin represents the union of heaven, earth, and humankind, with its sounds embodying these elements. Its notation includes pitches and hand movements, utilizing plucked and stopped strings and harmonics, played only with bare fingers. The qin has been treasured by Chinese intellectuals and Confucianists as a symbol of high culture.
2 Britannica Sources
1. qin
2. Chinese music: Forms of the 16th–18th centuries
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Where and when did the qin originate?
The qin is a fretless Chinese board zither with seven strings. Though its history stretches back to legendary times, mentions of it appear in oracle-bone inscriptions and the Shijing ("Classic of Poetry"), China's first poetry anthology. The design of the qin was not standardized until the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE). By the time of Ji Kang (224–263 CE), the design seems to have been standardized.

Treasured by Chinese intellectuals and Confucianists, the qin symbolizes high culture and is often featured in landscapes with sages.
1 Britannica Source
1. qin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What does the qin look like and how is it played?
The qin is a fretless Chinese board zither with seven strings. Its body, traditionally representing the 365 days of the year, is lacquered and inlaid with 13 dots of ivory, jade, or mother-of-pearl to indicate pitch positions. The silk strings are tuned pentatonically, stretched over a sound board of paulownia wood with a flat base, and are fastened by pegs called "goose feet."

To play the qin, one plucks and stops the strings using bare fingers to produce varied sounds: sanyin (open), fanyin (harmonics), and anyin (stopped). These sounds symbolize earth, heaven, and humankind, respectively. The instrument employs over 30 performance techniques, and its notation is written in tablature.
1 Britannica Source
1. qin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What materials are commonly used to make a qin?
The qin is a fretless Chinese zither traditionally crafted to represent the 365 days of the year in length. The body is lacquered and inlaid with 13 dots of ivory, jade or mother-of-pearl.

The sound board is usually made of paulownia wood, while the base is made of zi, or Chinese catalpa. The strings are silk with graduated thickness and are stretched over the sound board. The high bridge is called the "great mountain", the low bridge is called the "dragon's gums", and the pegs are called the "goose feet".
2 Britannica Sources
1. qin
2. stringed instrument: The production of sound
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How is music written and performed on the qin?
The qin is a fretless Chinese zither with seven strings. Its body traditionally represents the 365 days of the year. Thirteen inlays mark pitch positions on the upper string. The silk strings are tuned pentatonically, with the thickest string farthest from the player.

Qin notation indicates pitches and hand movements. Performers use plucked and stopped strings, as well as harmonics, using only their bare fingers. Symbolizing the union of heaven, earth, and humankind, the qin produces three timbres: open sounds (earth), harmonics (heaven), and stopped sounds (humans). There are more than 30 performance techniques, and notation is written in tablature. Over 100 tablature manuals exist, containing more than 3,000 pieces of music.
1 Britannica Source
1. qin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why is the qin important in Chinese history and culture?
The qin is a seven-stringed fretless Chinese zither that dates back to ancient times. The design of the qin was standardized by the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE). For centuries, the qin has been revered by Chinese intellectuals and Confucianists as a symbol of high culture. The well-educated were expected to be skilled in playing the qin, calligraphy, chess, and brush painting. The instrument is rich with symbolism; its top and bottom represent heaven and earth. In performance, the qin symbolizes the union of heaven, earth, and humankind.
1 Britannica Source
1. qin
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

qin, fretless Chinese board zither with seven strings. Traditionally the body of the qin was of a length that represented the 365 days of the year (3 chi [a chi is a Chinese foot], 6 cun [a cun is a Chinese inch, one-tenth of a chi], and 5 fen [a fen is one-tenth of a Chinese inch] long). The qin is usually lacquered and is inlaid with 13 dots (hui) of ivory, jade, or mother-of-pearl that indicate pitch positions, primarily on the upper melodic string. The silk strings, which are of graduated thickness, are tuned pentatonically, and the thickest string is farthest from the player’s body. They are stretched over a narrow and slightly convex sound board, usually made of paulownia wood (Sterculia plantanifolia); the underside of the sound board is closed by a flat base, usually made of zi (Chinese catalpa, Catalpa kaempferi). The underside of the base has two sound holes, the larger of which is called the “dragon pond” (longchi), and the smaller of which is called the “phoenix pool” (fengzhao). The qin’s high bridge near the wide end of the soundboard is called the “great mountain” (yueshan), the low bridge at the narrow end is called the “dragon’s gums” (longyin), and the two pegs for fastening the strings are called the “goose feet” (yanzhu). Each qin is given a unique name, which is engraved on the back side of the instrument, along with poems and the owner’s (or owners’) seals.

“Liushui,” a classic Chinese song, played on the qin.

The instrument’s notation indicates pitches as well as special hand movements. Both plucked and stopped strings and their harmonics are used, and only the bare fingers are used on the strings. Being for centuries the favoured instrument of the elite class, the qin is rich with literary connotations and with symbolism. For example, the top and the bottom of the instrument represent heaven and earth respectively. The 13 inlays mentioned above represent the 12 months of the year and the intercalary month added every few years to synchronize the lunar calendar with the solar calendar.

In performance the qin symbolizes the union of heaven, earth, and humankind. This symbolism is further echoed in the three types of sound (timbre) that are produced: sanyin, an open sound, represents earth; fanyin, harmonics, represent heaven; and anyin, a stopped sound, represents humans. There are 7 open sounds (7 strings), 91 harmonics, and 147 stopped sounds with a total range of four octaves plus two pitches. There are more than 30 techniques employed in performance—each with its own descriptive term—including yin (slow trill), rou (quick trill), chuo (upward portamento [pitch bending]) and zhu (downward portamento). Qin notation is written in tablature. There are more than 100 tablature manuals extant, containing more than 3,000 pieces of music. The earliest is a copy of the textual score of Jieshidiao youlan (“Secluded Orchid in Jieshi Mode”) from the Tang dynasty (618–907), which was handed down by Qiu Ming (494–590).

Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)

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The history of the qin dates back to legendary times. It was mentioned in oracle-bone inscriptions and in the Shijing (“Classic of Poetry”), the first anthology of Chinese poetry. Although earlier types exist, they vary as to the number of strings and hui do not seem to have been present. The design of the qin was not more or less uniform until the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 ad). In his poem “Qinfu” (“Ode to the Qin”), Ji Kang (224–263) mentions hui several times, which would indicate that qin design had been standardized by that time.

This ancient instrument has always been treasured as a symbol of high culture by Chinese intellectuals and Confucianists, and it is often seen in landscapes with sages viewing some scenic beauty. The well-educated person was expected to be skilled in four arts: qi (chess, or probably go), shu (calligraphy), hua (brush painting), and the playing of the qin.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.

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