The erhu , sometimes known in the West as the "Chinese violin" or Chinese two string fiddle, is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It belongs to the huqin (Chinese: 胡琴; pinyin: húqín) family of bowed string Chinese instruments, together with the zhonghu (中胡), gaohu (高胡), banhu (板胡), jinghu (京胡), sihu (四胡), and numerous others.