Guoyue (國樂; literally "national music"), in its broadest sense, is any music composed for Chinese musical instruments. It is also referred to variously as minyue (民乐), huayue (華樂) and zhongyue (中樂). In its modernized form, it is often Chinese traditional music written or adapted for some form of grand presentation through a large Chinese orchestra. It is frequently broadcast on radio and television in the People's Republic of China, and it is also the primary form of Chinese music taught in conservatories in China, as well as in Taiwan and Singapore.
The term guoyue appeared in various ancient texts and had various different meanings before the 20th century. It was used as early as the Sui-Tang period to refer to court music or yayue. In the Music Record section of History of Liao, it was used to distinguish the music of the Khitan rulers from that of the Han Chinese. During the Qing Dynasty it was used to refer to the kind of ceremonial court repertoire that was seen as a representation of China.