Ever Heard The Mellow Sound of This Chinese Instrument?

In Authentic Street Interviews by Angel Huang

It’s a "free reed" wind instrument made of 3 bamboo pipes and a gourd...

Image Source: Wikipedia

The Chinese word for this instrument translates as “gourd” + “silk” in English. (Hint: The “silk” part refers to the way it sounds)

So…

What’s it called in Chinese? And what exactly does it sound like?

Press play to practise your Mandarin listening skills and tune into the silky smooth sound of one of the top 10 Chinese musical instruments.

BONUS: Download MP3 + PDF to Review This Lesson Anytime

Chinese Musical Instrument Dialogue

(from the video)

Angel

nǐ hǎo! nǐ shǒu shàng ná de zhè gè shì shén me yuè qì? 

你好!你手上拿的这个是什么乐器?

Hi! What musical instrument is this you're holding in your hands?

Hulusi Player

zhè gè shì jiào hú lú sī, shì yún nán de mín yuè. nà zhè gè hú lú sī la chuī chū lái la, yě shì hěn měi miào de shēng yīn, jiù shì shuō: tā wēn róu, tā róu qíng, róu qíng xì yǔ de yī gè. jiù shì shuō…wǒ kě yǐ gěi nǐ biǎo yǎn yī xiǎo duàn. 

这个是叫葫芦丝,是云南的民乐。那这个葫芦丝啦吹出来啦,也是很美妙的声音,就是说:它温柔,它柔情,柔情细语的一个。就是说…我可以给你表演一小段。

This is called Hulusi. It's (for/from) Yunnan folk music. The sound that comes from a Hulusi is wonderful. I mean, it makes a gentle, soft, tender and low sound. I mean… I can perform a snippet for you. 

BONUS: Download MP3 + PDF to Review This Lesson Anytime

Hulusi Player

nà me zhè gè qū zi ne…jiào 《yuè guāng xià de fèng wěi zhú》, jiā yù hù xiǎo de, dōu zhī dào. hú lú…huì chuī hú lú sī de rén dōu zhī dào yǒu zhè shǒu qū zi.

那么这个曲子呢…叫《月光下的凤尾竹》,家喻户晓的,都知道。葫芦…会吹葫芦丝的人都知道有这首曲子。

So this song called “Moonlight under the bambusa”, it’s well known, everyone know it. Hulu… The people who can play Hulusi all know this song.

Angel

hǎo bàng! xiè xiè! xiè xiè!

好棒!谢谢!谢谢!

Awesome! Thank you! Thank you!

Want to listen to this again later? The audio (& a complete pdf transcript) is available for download below.

"How do I download the files..?"

On a computer: Right click on the button and select "Save as" or "Download"

On a phone: Tap and hold your finger on the button for a second (and you'll see the download option in the menu that pops up)

Do you have a favourite Chinese musical instrument..? Let me know in the comments below 🙂