The corbel is a bowed and stringed musical instrument of the Dong people. Named for the slender body that resembles a cow's thigh. Also known as Yanbasen. It has a long history, various specifications, and soft tone. It is mainly used for the accompaniment of Dong folk songs and Dong operas.

A long time ago, in a village of the Dong ethnic group in southeastern Guizhou, there lived a poor and a rich family. Relying on their wealth, the rich often let their dogs to bite the poor, and the poor did not show weakness, and rose up to resist and beat the dogs to death. Since then, the hatred between the two families has deepened.

Once, when the poor man's ox saw that his master was being bullied, he rushed to help, and when the rich man saw that the situation was not good, he also released his own ox. Since then, people have fought against each other, bulls have fought with bulls, and the whole village has become restless.

A god descended to the earth to mediate, and gave each person a reed, so that they would blow their way around the village and forget about the fight. But the bull did not listen to the call, and the more it fought, the more fierce it became. The immortal was worried that the ox's gladiatorial fight would provoke people's old hatred again, so in a fit of anger, he cut off the hind legs of the two oxen. The two oxen could no longer fight. Although the conflict was resolved, the poor man lost his ox forever. He hugged the corbel and wept bitterly.

When the corbel rotted, he made a wooden corbel, still holding it and stroking it, while telling his troubles. As a result, the corbel and corbel songs that are popular among the people gradually formed.