The erhu is one of the most typical Chinese instruments.（1）它有著一千多年的悠久歷史。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（兩弦的） 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（調(diào)音弦軸） 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）很多不同種類的木材可以用來制作二胡。 While playing，a performer usually sits with the bottom of the erhu on his or her left upper leg.
    The tone（音質(zhì)） 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）

作為一種傳統(tǒng)樂器，二胡很受民間音樂家的歡迎。

作為一種傳統(tǒng)樂器，二胡很受民間音樂家的歡迎。

（3）

盡管被稱為 "中國(guó)小提琴"，二胡與西洋小提琴全然不同。

盡管被稱為 "中國(guó)小提琴"，二胡與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，二胡還能模仿許多大自然的聲響，比如鳥兒的啼鳴。

此外，二胡還能模仿許多大自然的聲響，比如鳥兒的啼鳴。