Konghou

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Konghou

Konghou, tomb of Wei Guizhen (AD 597–665)
String instrument
Classification	chordophone
Related instruments
Çeng Chang (instrument) harp angular harp

The konghou (Chinese: 箜篌; pinyin: kōnghóu) is a Chinese plucked string instrument. In ancient China, the term konghou came to refer to three different musical instruments: a zither and two different types of harp.

Today, konghou usually refers the modern konghou concert harp, which was invented in the last century. Shu-konghou refers to an extinct vertical angular harp, and feng shou konghou to an extinct arched harp.

During the Tang dynasty it was also used as a general term for string instruments from other countries that played in the Chinese court.^[1] It may not have meant a specific type of instrument at that time.^[1]