Menu Close

Category: Guzheng

Guzheng

The zheng (Chinese: 箏; pinyin: zhēng; Wade–Giles: cheng) or guzheng (Chinese: 古箏; pinyin: gǔzhēng; lit. ‘ancient zheng’), is a Chinese plucked zither. The modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25 or 26 strings, is 64 inches (1.6 m) long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. It has a large, resonant soundboard made from Paulownia wood. Other components are often made from other woods for structural or decorative reasons. Guzheng players often wear fingerpicks made from materials such as plastic, resin, tortoiseshell, or ivory on one or both hands.