There are varied accounts for how the guzheng came to be. An early guzheng-like instrument is said to have been invented by Meng Tian, a general of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), largely influenced by the se. Some believe the guzheng was originally developed as a bamboo-tube zither as recorded in the "Shuowen Jiezi", which was later redesigned and made from larger curved wooden boards and movable bridges. A third legend says the guzheng came about when two people fought over a 25-string se. They broke it in half, one person receiving a 12-string part and another the 13-string part.