tanggu
Illustration — Tanggu drum The tanggu (堂鼓; pinyin: tánggǔ, pron; literally "ceremonial hall drum"; sometimes spelled tang gu) is a traditional Chinese drum that dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is medium in size and barrel-shaped, with two heads made of animal skin, and is played with two sticks. The tanggu is usually suspended by four rings in a wooden stand.
Also recorded as tánggǔ · tonggu · zhanggu
tanggu
Hans Olav Lien · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Field
- drum · Membranophone
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — Tanggu drum The tanggu (堂鼓; pinyin: tánggǔ, pron; literally "ceremonial hall drum"; sometimes spelled tang gu) is a traditional Chinese drum that dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is medium in size and barrel-shaped, with two heads made of animal skin, and is played with two sticks. The tanggu is usually suspended by four rings in a wooden stand.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for tanggu. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
gnd · 1045782963 · wikidata · Q7682928
In this article
Overview
Two wooden sticks are used to strike the upward facing membrane. The Tanggu (Drum) is known as "Tonggu". During the Qing Dynasty, it was called "Zhanggu". Its skin is normally made of buffalo's hide. The pitch and tone of the sound produced are not definite. It depends on the strength and which part of the drum skin is being hit. There are two types of Tanggu: the Xiao Tanggu and the Da Tanggu. The only difference is that the Xiao Tanggu is smaller in size, and thus produces a higher pitch sound. Orchestral works which use the Tanggu includes Fisherman's Song of the East China Sea and The General's Commands.
Tanggu is a drum or Membranophone.

Detall de tanggu (tambor), membranòfon, Xina. "Escultures musicals", exposició temporal al Museu de la Música de Barcelona. Fons de la Fundació La Fontana. Fotografies fetes durant el Backstage pass al Museu de la Música de Barcelona, el 21-11-2013
Enfo

tanggu, Tánggǔ (堂鼓) MET DP219344
Creator:Elevated Tone Workshop, Guangzhou (Canton) · This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 1045782963, Tanggu.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q7682928: tanggu
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 1045782963, Tanggu.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
Connections
Knowledge graph
Connections
Each connection was recorded deliberately, with the basis for it kept on the internal record.
Broader subject
1- MembranophoneTerminology
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.
- Tandon MotorcyclesOrganisation
- Tandy Video Information SystemTerminology
- Tandy-12Terminology
- tangent pianoTerminology
- Tangle TowerWork
- Tangled TalesWork
- TanglewoodWork
- tangmuriTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with tanggu?
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.