A Chinese lute known as a yueqin and also a moon-guitar; it has a circular disc shaped hollow wooden body with two curved lines carved into the face. It would have had four strings of silk attached to the four tuning pegs. It is played by plucking the strings.

Comprising an almost circular sound box, faced on either side with a panel of softwood, possibly wutong wood, which supports the stem. Bordered by four ribs that rise to the neckpiece and head, made from one piece of hardwood, with five wooden frets, one of which is missing. The instrument originally having four strings, fragments of three now survive and are tied to the bridge. The head terminating in a quadrilateral shield. This description is made with the aid of one kindly supplied by G. Rossi Rognoni, Curator at the Royal College of Music.

Text adapted from Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen: Volume III.