Catgut Catgut Catgut is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fibre found in the walls of animal intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, hogs, horses, mules, or donkeys. Despite the name, catgut manufacturers do not use cat intestines. The word "catgut" may have been an abbreviation of the word "cattlegut". Alternatively, it may derive by folk etymology from "kitgut" or "kitstring"—the word "kit", meaning fiddle, having at some point been confused with the word "kit" for a young cat; The word kit, being derived from fiddle in
Jinghu (instrument) Jinghu (instrument) The jinghu (京胡; pinyin: jīnghú) is a Chinese bowed string instrument in the "huqin" family, used primarily in Beijing opera. It is the smallest and highest pitched instrument in the "huqin" family. Like most of its relatives, the "jinghu" has 2 strings that are customarily tuned to the interval of a 5th which the hair of the non-detachable bow passes in between. The strings were formerly made of silk, but in modern times are increasingly made of steel or nylon. Unlike other "huqin" instruments ("erhu", "gaohu", "zhonghu", etc.) it is made of bamboo. Its cylindrical soundbox is covered