Xun (instrument)

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: ; traditional Chinese: ; 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.