The pyeonjong (編鐘) for playing court ritual music was introduced to Korea from Song China (960–1279 C.E.) in 1116 during the 11th year of King Yejong's reign of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Song Chinese chimes were tuned by varying the size of the bells, but by the early Joseon period, the instrument was reconstructed with a new tuning method – the size of the bells were unified but instead, their thicknesses varied so the thinner bells play lower notes and thicker bells play higher tones. The two-story rectangular wooden frame is supported by a pair of wooden lions and topped with five peacocks perched on a horizontal bar with twin dragon heads facing away from each other.

A set of sixteen bronze bells hanging in two rows of eight are struck by a standing player facing the instrument. He strikes the bells on the circular marks on their lower belly with mallets made of horns. The chime can play twelve tones in an octave and four higher tones, ascending from the lowest key note Hwangjong (黃鐘) at the bottom right to the highest Cheong-hyeipjong (淸夾鐘) note at the top right. According to the Musical Cannon (Akhak-gwebeom, 樂學軌範), a comprehensive book of musical theory and practice published in 1493, the player strikes the bells in the upper-row with his left hand and the bottom row with his right when playing court music.

Pyeonjong were produced in two different designs depending on the occasion when they were used. The frames of those used for banquets were ornamented with bright colors and colored silk tassels, whereas those used for ancestral rites or prayers had plain colored frames and tassels made of cotton.