any of a group of Chinese fiddles. Huqin are generally spike fiddles, as the narrow cylindrical or hexagonal body is skewered by the tubular neck. Most have two strings, although some three- or four-string variants exist. The instruments are held vertically on the player's lap, and their music is marked by slides and vibratos as the left hand moves quite freely along the strings. Typically the horsehair of the bow passes between the strings and the arched wooden stick remains on the outside; the bow is thus not separable from the instrument.