dailycharacter
Chinese Poetic Forms
赋 (fù): Han Dynasty
prose-poem
诗 (shī): Han Dynasty →
encompasses the widest range of poetic work
▪ 古诗 (gǔshī, 'old poetry')
pre-Tang, few constraints
▪ 近体诗 (jìntĭshī, 'regulated verse')
at zenith in Tang
lines of 5 or 7 characters
○ 绝句 (júejù) 4 lines
○ 律诗 (lǜshī) 8 lines
○ 排律(páilǜ) unlimited number of lines
词 (cí): Southern & Northern Dynasties →
at zenith in Song Dynasty
originally new lyrics for pre-existing melodies
became poetic form in its own right
often categorized by length or music
曲 (qǔ, 'melody'): Song/Yuan/Ming Dynasties
at zenith in Yuan Dynasty
basis of operas without dialogue
新诗 (xīnshī, 'new poetry'): 1919 →
popularized by the May 4th movement, no rhyme, few constraints
***************
This is not an exhaustive list, just a sketch to give you a basic foundation in forms of Chinese poetry.
source: zh.wikipedia.org (04.02.08)
prose-poem
诗 (shī): Han Dynasty →
encompasses the widest range of poetic work
▪ 古诗 (gǔshī, 'old poetry')
pre-Tang, few constraints
▪ 近体诗 (jìntĭshī, 'regulated verse')
at zenith in Tang
lines of 5 or 7 characters
○ 绝句 (júejù) 4 lines
○ 律诗 (lǜshī) 8 lines
○ 排律(páilǜ) unlimited number of lines
词 (cí): Southern & Northern Dynasties →
at zenith in Song Dynasty
originally new lyrics for pre-existing melodies
became poetic form in its own right
often categorized by length or music
曲 (qǔ, 'melody'): Song/Yuan/Ming Dynasties
at zenith in Yuan Dynasty
basis of operas without dialogue
新诗 (xīnshī, 'new poetry'): 1919 →
popularized by the May 4th movement, no rhyme, few constraints
***************
This is not an exhaustive list, just a sketch to give you a basic foundation in forms of Chinese poetry.
source: zh.wikipedia.org (04.02.08)
