Chinese classical poetry

Seven-Character Regulated Verse (七言律诗)

Overview

A 七言律诗 (qīyán lǜshī) is a classical Chinese poetic form with strict structural, tonal, and rhyme rules. It consists of 8 lines, each containing exactly 7 Chinese characters.

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Structure

Lines	Name	Requirement
1–2	首联 (shǒulián)	Opening couplet; sets the scene/theme
3–4	颔联 (hànlián)	Second couplet; must be parallel (对仗)
5–6	颈联 (jǐnglián)	Third couplet; must be parallel (对仗)
7–8	尾联 (wěilián)	Closing couplet; conveys emotion or conclusion

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Rhyme Scheme

• Lines 2, 4, 6, 8 must rhyme (end on the same rhyme group).
• Line 1 may optionally rhyme with the even lines.
• All rhyming characters must be 平声 (level tone = tones 1 and 2 in Mandarin).
• For modern Mandarin rhyming, characters sharing the same final vowel cluster (韵母) are considered rhyming.
  • Example rhyme groups: -ang (长/肠/方/凉/光), -ing (明/清/声/情), -an (安/天/年/眠)

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Tonal Pattern (平仄)

Two primary patterns (starting with 仄 or 平). For lines ending in rhyme (平声):

Pattern A (仄起首句入韵):

Line 1: 仄仄平平仄仄平 (rhymes)
Line 2: 平平仄仄仄平平 (rhymes)
Line 3: 平平仄仄平平仄
Line 4: 仄仄平平仄仄平 (rhymes)
Line 5: 仄仄平平平仄仄
Line 6: 平平仄仄仄平平 (rhymes)
Line 7: 平平仄仄平平仄
Line 8: 仄仄平平仄仄平 (rhymes)

Key rule: 平 = tones 1 & 2; 仄 = tones 3 & 4.

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Parallelism Requirements (对仗)

Lines 3–4 and 5–6 must form syntactic parallels:

• Nouns match nouns, verbs match verbs
• Same grammatical position, contrasting or complementary meaning
• Typical word categories: place/nature nouns, action verbs, descriptors

Example:

田园荒废无人种，(田园 / 荒废 / 无人种)
骨肉分离各一方。(骨肉 / 分离 / 各一方)

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Composition Tips for War/Peace Themes

• 首联: Establish the wartime setting with sensory imagery (drums, smoke, banners)
• 颔联: Describe civilian suffering in parallel couplet (abandoned fields, separated families)
• 颈联: Deepen emotion — isolated figures, silence, longing (geese as messengers, lone lamps)
• 尾联: Pivot to hope — express longing for peace, transforming weapons to tools

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File Format

When saving a poem to a .txt file:

<Title>
<Line 1>
<Line 2>
<Line 3>
<Line 4>
<Line 5>
<Line 6>
<Line 7>
<Line 8>

Title on line 1, followed by exactly 8 lines of verse (no blank lines between unless specified).