Full name
阮咸 (ruǎnxián), abbreviated to
阮. Named after the Jin-dynasty poet Ruan Xian (
阮咸), one of the 'Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove'
竹林七贤, who was famous for playing this lute. The instrument had existed earlier as
秦琵琶, but Ruan Xian's fame attached his name to it permanently.
