A mid to high-pitched 2-stringed Chinese bowed instrument of the huqin family.

The lower tones sound forceful and lush, the mid-tones are very gentle and the high tones are bright.

The erhu (er = 'two'; hu = 'barbarian') became popular in China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) and is one of the most widely used bowed string instruments in China.

The erhu is played with a variety of techniques and, since the 1950s, it has become an extremely popular instrument in both solo and orchestral performances.

The modern erhu has two metal strings that are very close to each other, a thin wooden neck and a round, hexagonal or octagonal tubular body covered with python skin. The horsehair bowstrings are woven between the two strings of the instrument.