The Dizi
The dizi (笛子) is a Chinese bamboo flute held sideways. A thin membrane over an extra hole makes it buzz, giving it a bright, reedy voice that carries across water and hills.
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Play the dizi
Play the dizi right here, from recorded notes; the line under the board says exactly which recording you hear. Nothing plays until you touch it.
More from the Chinese scholar’s garden: Guqin · Guzheng · Erhu · Pipa. All seven, Japanese and Chinese, are in East Asian instruments.
The dizi is a Chinese transverse (side-blown) bamboo flute. Its signature is a tissue-thin membrane over an extra hole, which buzzes as you play and gives the dizi its bright, reedy shimmer.
Its voice
Bright, airy and agile. The dizi trills, slides and flutters, and the buzz of its membrane gives it an edge that softens into breath when played gently — birdsong one moment, mist over water the next.
A dizi is a length of bamboo with a blowing hole, six finger holes and, between the blowing hole and the finger holes, one extra hole covered with a thin membrane called dimo (笛膜), traditionally made from the inner skin of bamboo or reed. When the player blows, the membrane vibrates and adds a buzzing edge to the tone — the sound that makes a dizi a dizi.
Dizi come in many sizes, each pitched in a different key, so players switch flutes from piece to piece. Two main styles stand out: the shorter, higher bangdi (梆笛), brilliant and linked with northern bangzi opera, and the longer, mellower qudi (曲笛) of the south, which accompanies Kunqu opera.
Old flutes, newer dizi
Flutes go back a very long way in China: bone flutes found at Jiahu in Henan are roughly 9,000 years old. Those are end-blown, though, and not simple ancestors of the dizi.
Many accounts say the side-blown flute spread widely during the Han dynasty, perhaps along routes from Central Asia. Sources differ: older side-blown flutes have also been found in China, such as the chi (篪) in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (around 433 BCE). The membrane that gives the dizi its buzz is usually described as a later addition.
Good to know
What is a dizi?
A Chinese bamboo flute held sideways, with six finger holes and a membrane-covered hole that gives it a bright, buzzing tone.
What is the membrane on a dizi for?
The dimo (笛膜) vibrates as the air column does, adding the reedy, buzzing colour that sets the dizi apart from other flutes. Players adjust its tension to change the sound.
What is the difference between the dizi and the shakuhachi?
The dizi is Chinese, held sideways and has a buzzing membrane. The shakuhachi is Japanese, blown at the end through a sharp edge, with no membrane, and sounds breathier and darker.
What key is a dizi in?
There isn’t one key: dizi are made in many sizes, each pitched differently, and players choose the flute to suit the piece.