leiqin
The leiqin (雷琴 or 擂琴, literally "thunderous instrument"; also called leihu) is a Chinese bowed string musical instrument.
leiqin
Nikolaj Potanin · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Field
- bowed string instrument
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for leiqin. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q1815667
In this article
Construction
Construction
Made of brass and wood, the leiqin is covered with snakeskin and has a long fretless fingerboard. The two strings pass over a small bridge that is placed on the snakeskin, near the top edge. A mobile unit called a shankou holds the strings in place.
History
History
Wang Dianyu, a traditional folk musician from Shandong, created the leiqin in the late 1920s. It was adapted from an earlier traditional instrument called zhuihu.
Audio
Audio
Leiqin MP3s (click on headphones to listen to individual tracks)
Video
Video
Leiqin video
Blind street musician playing 擂琴
Nikolaj Potanin from Russia · Blind street musician playing 擂琴
Blind street musician playing 擂琴
Nikolaj Potanin from Russia · Blind street musician playing 擂琴
Playing technique
The leiqin is played while the player is seated in a chair, with the instrument's body resting in his or her lap and held in a vertical or near-vertical position. Unlike the erhu and other instruments in the huqin family, the strings are touched against the fingerboard in the same technique as the sanxian. Players use a leg rest, typically made of solid wood with a smooth, flat bottom. Leg rests especially aid beginners who may not have exact control over their playing pressure.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Leiqin, revision 1360228965 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Zhang, Zixue. Effect of humidity on the vibrating membrane of the python skin and eco-friendly materials imitation skin on traditional Chinese musical instrument - Leiqin. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development. 13. 1. 1666-1679. January 2024.
- 2.Zhang, Zixue. Remodeling the Leiqin Leg Rest with Additive Manufacturing: Enhancing Performers’ Learning Interest. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development. 14. 1. 1607-1619. February 2025.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
General reference
Connections
Knowledge graph
Connections
Each connection was recorded deliberately, with the basis for it kept on the internal record.
Broader subject
1- bowed string instrumentTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- LEGO VoyagersWork
- LEGO WorldsWork
- Legrand LegacyWork
- Leichtbau MaierOrganisation
- Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places)Work
- Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge LizardsWork
- Leisure VisionTerminology
- LemmingsWork
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with leiqin?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.