The Eight Sounds or Eight Tones

Chinese musical instruments were traditionally classified into 8

categories known as bayin. The eight categories are: silk,
bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay or earth, gourd and skin.
There are other instruments which may not fit these classifications. 

1. Silk - Silk instruments are mostly stringed instruments (including

those that are plucked, bowed, and struck). Since ancient times the
Chinese have used twisted silk for strings, though today metal or
nylon are more frequently used.

Plucked:

Guqin – a 7-stringed zither without bridges, the most classical

Chinese instrument with over 3000 years of history. It
is referred to as the instrument of sages for the purpose
of enriching the heart and elevating human spirit.

Pipa – a 4-stringed plucked lute, pear-shaped and fretted. The pipa

history can be dated back at least 2000 years and
developed
from pentatonic to full scales. This instrument has extremely
wide dynamic range and remarkable expressive power.
Se – a 25-stringed zither with movable bridges (ancient sources
say 13, 25 or 50 strings)

Konghou - a harp

Bowed:

Erhu - is a two-stringed bowed lute

 Banhu -  two-stringed fiddle with a coconut resonator and
wooden face, used primarily in northern China.
The timbre of Ban-Hu is clarion and bright, which
makes it hard to join other instruments.
Therefore it's usually for solo, especially for presenting
joyful and passionate moods.

Sihu - four-stringed fiddle with strings tuned in pairs. It is used

for accompanying local opera, most commonly found in
the North, such as Sanxi, Shanxi and Neimonggu.

Struck:
 Yangqin - is a Chinese hammered dulcimer with a near-squared
soundboard and played with two bamboo sticks.

2. Bamboo - Bamboo mainly refers to woodwind instruments.

Paixiao - pan pipes

Dizi or Di - transverse bamboo flute with buzzing membrane.

 Bawu - side-blown free reed pipe with finger holes

Guan or guanzi -  cylindrical double reed wind instrument

made of either hardwood (Northern China) or bamboo
(Cantonese).

3. Wood

 Muyu (or Mu-yu) - a rounded woodblock carved in the

shape of a fish, struck with a wooden stick; often used in
Buddhist chanting.
 Paiban - a clapper made from several flat pieces of wood

Yu - a wooden percussion instrument carved in the shape

of a tiger with a serrated back, played by hitting a stick with an
end made of approximately 15 stalks of bamboo on its head three
times and across the serrated back once to mark the end of the
music.

4. Stone - The "stone" category mostly comprises various forms

of stone chimes.

Bianqing - a rack of stone tablets that are hung by ropes

from a wooden frame and struck using a mallet

5. Metal
 Yunluo - literally "cloud gongs"; 10 or more small
tuned gongs in a frame.

Bianzhong - 16 to 65 bronze bells hung on a rack, struck using

poles.

Suona - double-reed wind instrument with a flaring metal bell

 Fangxiang - set of tuned metal slabs (metallophone)

6. Clay or Earth – instruments made of clay

Xun or ocarina – made of baked clay, with blowing hole

and holes for fingers

7. Gourd

Sheng -  free reed mouth organ consisting of varying

number of bamboo pipes inserted into a metal (formerly gourd or
hardwood) chamber with finger holes.
Hulusi -  free-reed wind instrument with three bamboo pipes which
pass through a gourd wind chest; one pipe has finger holes and the
other two are drone pipes; used primarily in Yunnan province

8. Skin - made from dried animal skins

Taogu - a pellet drum used in ritual music

Tanggu -  medium-sized barrel drum played with two

sticks; also called tonggu .

Biangu – a flat drm