Xun (instrument)

For the languages of southern Africa, see Xun language (disambiguation).
Xun
Woodwind instrument
Classification aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification421.221.42
(vessel flute)
Developedc.1600 BCE (Xia Dynasty)
Related instruments
hun, tsuchibue
The front of a glazed pottery xun, showing blowing hole and six finger holes
The back of a glazed pottery xun, showing blowing hole and two thumb holes

The xun (simplified Chinese: 埙; traditional Chinese: 塤; pinyin: xūn; Cantonese= hyun1) is a globular, vessel flute from China. It is one of the oldest musical instruments in China and has been in use for approximately 7,000 years.[1] The xun was initially made of stone, baked clay, or bone,[1] and later of clay or ceramic; sometimes the instrument is made with bamboo. It is the only surviving example of an earth[2] (also called "clay") instrument from the traditional "eight-tone" (bayin) classifications of musical instruments (based on whether the instrument is made from metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, earth, hide, or wood).[3]

  1. ^ a b Allen. "The Chinese Xun". OcarinaForest.com. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  2. ^ Jin, Jie (2011). Chinese Music. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521186919.
  3. ^ Thrasher, Alan (2000). Chinese Musical Instruments. New York: Oxford University Press Inc. p. 16. ISBN 0-19--590777-9.