Qin in "Zhongni" form

This qin is made of hard wood, with the "hui" (studs) set in mother-of-pearl, the tuning pegs made of ox horn, and the "dragon pool" (upper sound-emitting hole on the base board) and "phoenix pond" (lower hole on the base board) rimmed with mottled bamboo. It is black lacquered all over. The top surface shows natural crack patterns of "snake skin" and "ox hair", and the base, "ox hair" and "ice cracks". The inside of the top panel, corresponding to the "dragon pool" and "phoenix pond" holes, are insets of tong wood (Chinese paulownia) pieces, known as "false sound absorbers", a device that follows the stylistic provenance of qins of the Tang dynasty. Such a design could occasionally be found in instruments made in the early Ming dynasty, but grew to be rare after mid-Ming and was extinct by the Qing dynasty.

Qin-making flourished in the Ming dynasty since qin playing was popular throughout all social strata. This accounts for the large number of qins made in the Ming dynasty that are extant today. The construction of Ming qin basically conforms to those of the Tang and Song dynasties. As people in the Ming dynasty excelled in making lacquer ware, Ming instruments handed down to these days are mostly well made. But the layer of tempered lacquer tends to be thinner than early ones. Another distinct difference is that since the temper used is not limited to the traditional "antler powder", there is less variety in the pattern of surface cracks. They are mostly of the fine and dense "ox hair" type, unlike those found on instruments made in previous periods. And, inscription grew more popular only in the Chenghua (1465–1487) and later periods.

This instrument is in the "Zhongni" form - "Zhongni" being a style name of Confucius. The form was first created in the late Tang dynasty or during the Five dynasties (907–960), and became very popular in the Song period when Confucianism was advocated, so much so that it was the most prevailing style, even to this day. This qin bears no inscription, shows fine workmanship, carries "false sound absorbers", is dated to the early Ming period. The pure and mellow tones exude antiquated charm.