What is "xun"

n. A globular, vessel flute made of clay or ceramic originating from China.

The xun (; Cantonese= hyun1) is a globular, vessel flute from China. It is one of the oldest musical instruments in China and has been in use for approximately seven thousand years. The xun was initially made of baked clay or bone, and later of clay or ceramic. It is the only surviving example of an earth (also called "clay") instrument from the traditional "eight-tone" ( bayin) classifications of musical instruments (based on whether the instrument is made from metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, earth, hide, or wood).

Xun is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in Chinese character. It is romanized Hsün in Wade–Giles. Xun is the 201st surname in the Song dynasty classic text Hundred Family Surnames. It is not among the top 300 most common Chinese surnames.