The erhu is one of the most typical Chinese instruments.（1）它有着一千多年的悠久历史。The exact time of its development is unclear，although it is widely accepted to have originated（起源） during the Tang Dynasty.（2）As a traditional instrument，the erhu is very popular with folk musicians.
    The name of this instrument has two characters，namely "二" and "胡".The first character is thought to refer to its two-stringed（两弦的） design.The second one shows that it belongs to the huqin family.
    （3）Although it is known as the Chinese violin，the erhu is quite different from the Western violin. It has a long neck that looks like a stick with two tuning pegs（调音弦轴） at the top of the neck.At its bottom，you will find a small soundbox covered in a kind of snake skin on its front end.The bow is placed between its two strings.Traditionally，the two strings are made of silk，but metal strings are more often used now.（4）很多不同种类的木材可以用来制作二胡。 While playing，a performer usually sits with the bottom of the erhu on his or her left upper leg.
    The tone（音质） of the erhu is very much like a human voice.（5）Besides，it can copy many natural sounds，such as the voice of birds. Horse Racing and The Moon Reflected in the Second Spring （Erquan Yingyue） are the classic erhu music.
（1）

It has a long history of over 1，000 years.

It has a long history of over 1，000 years.

（2）

作为一种传统乐器，二胡很受民间音乐家的欢迎。

作为一种传统乐器，二胡很受民间音乐家的欢迎。

（3）

尽管被称为 "中国小提琴"，二胡与西洋小提琴全然不同。

尽管被称为 "中国小提琴"，二胡与西洋小提琴全然不同。

（4）

Many different kinds of wood can be used to make the erhu.

Many different kinds of wood can be used to make the erhu.

（5）

此外，二胡还能模仿许多大自然的声响，比如鸟儿的啼鸣。

此外，二胡还能模仿许多大自然的声响，比如鸟儿的啼鸣。