胡乐 (húyuè): Hu music

Meanings

1 Hu music
2 Central Asian / non-Han music (esp. as it entered China during the Tang dynasty)

Characters

胡

hú

non-Han peoples; foreign (historical)

乐

yuè

music

Examples

唐代长安城里盛行胡乐。

Tángdài Cháng'ān chéng lǐ shèngxíng húyuè.

Hu music flourished in the city of Chang'an during the Tang dynasty.

琵琶最初是从胡乐传入中原的。

Pípá zuìchū shì cóng húyuè chuánrù Zhōngyuán de.

The pipa was originally introduced to the Central Plains as part of Hu music.

Tips

history

胡 historically referred to the peoples of the northern and western frontiers (Xiongnu, Sogdians, Turks, etc.). 胡乐 entered China along the Silk Road and reached its peak prestige in the Tang court — the pipa, konghou, and many drum traditions all came in via 胡乐.