Ruan

A Chinese plucked string instrument. It is a lute with a fretted neck, a circular body, and four strings. Its strings were formerly made of silk but since the 20th century they have been made of steel (flat wound for the lower strings). The instrument can be played using a plectrum similar to a guitar pick (formerly made of animal horn, but today often plastic), or using a set of two or five acrylic nails that are affixed to the fingers with adhesive tape. Mainstream Ruan players use plectrums, though there are some schools that teach the fingernail technique, similar to that of the Pipa.

The Ruan came to be named Ruanxian, after Ruan Xian (阮咸), one of the reputed "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" of the Six Dynasties period (3rd century AD) in ancient China, who was a highly skilled master of the instrument. Over time, the name was shortened to Ruan.