It is made of wood, shaped like a tiger, with erect ears, a white forehead with hanging eyes, a red mouth and sharp teeth, a tiger skin pattern on the surface, and a gold lacquer seat below. There is a slot in the middle of the tiger's back, and 27 rectangular wood chips with painted surfaces are planted. Two ears stick out from one side of the seat, which are used to place the hammer. It is made of a bamboo tube, which is split and cut in half, and the remaining half is divided into twenty-four thin bamboo strips. When playing, it is pronounced in a reverse manner.

The yu is a ritual musical instrument for the court music of the past dynasties, and it was also used exclusively for neutralizing Shao music in the Ming and Qing courts. When a piece of music is about to end, the sound of chi is used as the ending sound, then the conductor of the band is put down, and the performance of Zhonghe Shaoyue is finished.