CHENG

also called Tranh, musical instrument, a Chinese board zither with 13 to 16 strings and having movable bridges; it originated in the 3rd century Bc . Present-day strings are metal, although they were probably silk in ancient times. This short zither can still be heard in surviving courtly solo and chamber music in Vietnam, where it is known as a tranh. The Chinese form has enjoyed some revival in Taiwan, where many new pieces are written for it. The Chinese character for the cheng is the same as that for the Japanese koto zither, although the latter is a much bigger instrument.