| name | run2_chinese-poetry-qiyan-lvshi |
| description | Comprehensive guidelines for composing a strict seven-character regulated verse (qiyan lvshi) based on modern Mandarin pronunciation, including advanced tonal rules. |
Advanced Seven-character Regulated Verse (七言律诗) Guide
A seven-character regulated verse (七言律诗) is a highly structured form of classical Chinese poetry. It consists of exactly 8 lines, 7 characters per line.
Tonal Rules (Pingze) based on Modern Mandarin
- Level Tone (平, Ping): Modern Mandarin Tones 1 and 2 (e.g., mā, má).
- Oblique Tone (仄, Ze): Modern Mandarin Tones 3 and 4 (e.g., mǎ, mà).
Standard Metrical Patterns
The tonal structure of a poem is determined by its first line. There are four basic sentence patterns:
- 平起平收 (Ping start, Ping end): 平平仄仄仄平平
- 仄起平收 (Ze start, Ping end): 仄仄平平仄仄平
- 平起仄收 (Ping start, Ze end): 平平仄仄平平仄
- 仄起仄收 (Ze start, Ze end): 仄仄平平平仄仄
A typical "Ze start, rhyming first line" (仄起入韵) pattern is:
- Line 1: 仄仄平平仄仄平 (Rhyme)
- Line 2: 平平仄仄仄平平 (Rhyme)
- Line 3: 平平仄仄平平仄
- Line 4: 仄仄平平仄仄平 (Rhyme)
- Line 5: 仄仄平平平仄仄
- Line 6: 平平仄仄仄平平 (Rhyme)
- Line 7: 平平仄仄平平仄
- Line 8: 仄仄平平仄仄平 (Rhyme)
Advanced Strictness Rules
- 一三五不论，二四六分明: The 1st, 3rd, and 5th characters of a line are generally flexible. The 2nd, 4th, and 6th must strictly follow the pattern.
- Avoid 孤平 (Lone Ping): In lines ending in Ping (平平仄仄仄平平 or 仄仄平平仄仄平), there must not be only a single Ping tone (excluding the final rhyme character). For instance, in
平平仄仄仄平平, if the 3rd character is changed to Ze, it becomes 平平仄仄仄平平 which is fine. But in 仄仄平平仄仄平, changing the 3rd character to Ze creates 仄仄仄平仄仄平, leaving only one Ping before the rhyme—this is forbidden.
- Avoid 三平调 (Three Ping Ending): The last three characters of a line cannot all be Ping tones. A line meant to end in
仄平平 cannot become 平平平.
Rhyme (Yun)
- In modern Mandarin poetry, rhymes are often based on the Thirteen Tracks (十三辙).
- Rhyming occurs on the even lines (2, 4, 6, 8) and often line 1.
- The rhyme must be in the Ping tone.
- All rhyming characters in a poem must belong to the same rhyme category (e.g., "言前辙" covering modern an, ian, uan, üan).
Antithesis (Duizhang)
- Jaw Couplet (Lines 3 & 4): Must form a strict antithetical pair. (e.g., Noun matches Noun, Verb matches Verb).
- Neck Couplet (Lines 5 & 6): Must form a strict antithetical pair.
- The semantic meaning should contrast or complement each other.
Theme & Perspective
When writing about war from an ordinary person's perspective, focus on relatable, grounded imagery: ruined homes, separated families, hunger, cold, and a desperate plea for normalcy (plowshares instead of swords).
