Zen xin comprises a neck, sound box, surface, head and strings. The neck is made from a hard wood, and has a big but short rectangular shape of 20 cm length, 2 cm thickness and 2.5 cm width.

The sound box served as a resonator is a round flat box of 32 cm diameter and 2.5cm height. The thin-wooden surface is beautifully decorating carved and has a sound hole.

The bat-shaped head of Zen xin has 4 tuning pegs that hang 4 respective silk strings polished with beeswax or sweet potato resin (currently popular are nylon strings).

Zen xin has 11 frets, of which, 5 frets are located on the neck while other 6 frets are on the surface. Of 4 strings, 2 big strings are unison while 2 small ones are tuned at fifth namely Fa1 and Do2. Range of Zen xin covers 2 octaves.

Zen xin produces clear, light, steady, and less sonorous sounds. When playing Zen xin, instrumentalist holds it in front of his belly, his left hand presses frets while his right hand uses a triangle plastic plectrum to pluck strings with techniques such as flipping, plucking, tremolo and a number of others.

Techniques for the left hand include making glissando, accent, appoggiatura, and chords. Zen xin is played by men in daily activities and can be either in solo performance, or in duet with leaf instrument.