It was around the Former Han (dynasty of China) when these instruments were introduced to China and at first they were called 'huqin' (any Chinese string instrument played with a bow) which meant a 'Western harp' (stringed instruments) (These instruments are totally different from the ones called huquin from the age of the Sung dynasty to today).
これが中国に伝播したのは前漢の頃で、当初は「西方の琴（弦楽器）」を意味する「胡琴」の名称で呼ばれた（宋(王朝)代以降現在までに胡琴と呼称される楽器はまったく別のもの）。