CHUNG

Pinyin Zhong, bronze, clapperless bell produced in China mainly during the late Chou (c. 600-255 BC) dynasty. The lower lip of the chung often arcs somewhat between slight points at either side of the elliptical section of the bell; the sides are slightly convex or flat in profile and slope gently to a flat top, where a lug (ear-shaped protuberance) of greater or lesser elaboration is placed. The chung originally would have been arranged in a series, according to size and tone, suspended on a wooden frame from the lug at the top, and sounded by striking the surface with a mallet. Examples of similar bells are known from the Shang dynasty (18th-12th century BC), but generally the bells known as chung come from the late Chou period, when the exterior surfaces are embellished with densely patterned designs and bosses.