The Zheng(筝) is a traditional Chinese musical instrument. It belongs to the zither family of string instruments. It spread very widely and already has been two thousand years of history.So we also call them “Guzheng”（古筝）。 筝是中国的传统乐器，它属于弦类乐器的一种，流传很广，至今已有2000年的历史。所以我们也叫它古筝。 The modern-day guzheng is a plucked（拨弦）with movable bridges（筝码） and 21 strings(弦)。The guzheng's strings were formerly made of twisted silk, though by the 20th century most players used metal（金属）strings。Since the mid-20th century most performers use steel（钢的） strings flatwound with nylon. 现今的古筝是有由21根弦和可移动的筝码组成的拨弦乐器。早先的弦由丝线搓成的，20世纪很多演奏者使用金属弦，到了20世纪中期更多的演奏者使用钢的尼龙弦。 The Guzheng should not to be confused with the Guqin--another ancient Chinese zither but without bridges. 古筝要和古琴区分开，因为古琴是没有琴码的。 The guzheng has existed since the Warring States Period（战国时代）and became especially popular during the Qin dynasty（秦朝）.The ancient guzheng had 12 strings.Nowadays The 21-string zheng is the most commonly used, but some traditional musicians still use the 16-string, especially along the southeastern coastal(沿海) provinces of China and in Taiwan. 古筝的起源可以追溯到战国时代，在秦朝变得流行。古代的古筝只有12根弦，现在的21弦古筝广泛被使用。但是一些传统的流派依然使用16弦的，特别是东南沿海省份还有台湾。 There are many techniques used in the playing of the guzheng, including basic plucking actions (right or both hands) at the right portion and pressing actions at the left portion (by the left hand ）as well as tremolo . These techniques of playing the guzheng can create sounds that can evoke the sense of a cascading waterfall, thunder and even the scenic countryside. 古筝演奏有很多技巧，包括右手或两只手在筝码右边的拨弦动作，左手在左侧按压琴弦使声音发生改变的技巧例如颤音。这些技巧能够制造出瀑布、雷电、自然世界的意境。 Plucking is done mainly by the right hand with four picks（假指甲）， attached to the fingers. Advanced players may use picks attached to the fingers of both hands. Ancient picks were made of ivory(象牙） and later also from tortoise shell.（龟壳）。 通常右手的四个手指带四个指甲拨弦，有的演奏者两只手都会带指甲。古代的指甲由象牙制成，后来也用龟壳制作。 The guzheng's pentatonic scale（五声音阶） is tuned to Do, Re, Mi, So and La, but Fa and Ti can also be produced by pressing the strings to the left of the bridges. Well known pieces for the instrument include Yu Zhou Chang Wan (Singing at night on fishing boat), Gao Shan Liu Shui (High mountains flowing water) and Han Gong Qiu Yue (Han palace autumn moon). 古筝是五声音阶，12356,47是由右手拨弦同时左手揉弦的基础上产生的。我们所熟悉的筝曲有渔舟唱晚、高山流水、汉宫秋月。 Nowadays,many popular elments together with guzheng bring us a fantastic Feeling.Let’s enjoy a piece of music together. 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/a9a0e9ae31b765ce0408148d.html