Xun is a closed-mouthed wind instrument unique to the Han nationality. It occupies an important position in the history of primitive art in the world. The origin of xun is related to the labor and production activities of the ancestors of the Han nationality. It may have been made by the ancestors to imitate the calls of birds and beasts to trap prey. Later, with the progress of society, it evolved into a simple musical instrument, and gradually increased the sound hole, and developed into a melody instrument that can play tunes.

According to legend, Xun originated from a hunting tool called "Stone Meteor". In ancient times, people often tied a stone ball or a mud ball with a rope and threw it out to hit birds and beasts. Some spheres are empty in the middle, and they can make a sound when they are swung for a spin. Later, people thought it was very fun, so they used it to blow, so this kind of stone meteor slowly evolved into Xun.

At first, Xun was mostly made of stones and bones, and later developed into pottery. There are also many shapes, such as oblate, oval, spherical, fish-shaped and pear-shaped, among which pear-shaped is the most common.