Ruan was found as early as the reign of Emperor Wu in the Han dynasty (140-87 BC). According to the preface of pipa Fu by Fuxuan in the East Han dynasty (25-220 AD), ruan was an instrument made by the technicians with reference to the qin, zheng, zhu, konghou etc. Ruanxian, who was one of the famous "Seven Saints of the Bamboo Forest" in the East Jin dynasty (317-420 AD) was an expert player of the instrument. Ruan was a common instrument in Qingshangyue and Xiliangyue (musical genres) in the Tang dynasty. From there, it was passed on to Japan.

Since the Tang (618-960 AD) and Song (960-1368 AD) dynasties, ruan has remained more or less the same in its original form and structure. The range of the traditional four-stringed ruan was narrow and its scale was incomplete. After improvement, the head, neck and frame of the sound box are now made with cigar-box wood, and the finger board is attacked to the neck. Wood from the phoenix tree is used to make the front and the back covers of the body, in which seventeen to twenty-four pin are positioned, set according to the equal temperament.

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