The shape of the dulcimer is a ladder-shaped or anti-butterfly-shaped wooden box structure, which is a musical instrument that resonates with the box. Because it is played by percussion on the strings, it is a percussion stringed instrument and can be called a percussion instrument. To analyze in detail, the pronunciation principle of dulcimer is to strike the strings and resonate through the qin (sound) board.

Sometimes it belongs to percussion music in terms of performance form, and sometimes it belongs to the plucked instrument group, because the sound of dulcimer instruments is strong and granular, and it is a point-like sounding instrument. , so it can be called a plucked instrument in terms of timbre characteristics. It can be said that the dulcimer can be classified into different musical instruments according to the classification of musical instruments from different angles, and its essence is still a stringed instrument.