Qiyan lvshi

Seven-Character Regulated Verse (七言律诗)

Structure

A 七言律诗 consists of 8 lines, each with 7 characters. The 8 lines form 4 couplets:

1. 首联 (Opening Couplet) — Lines 1–2: Introduce the theme/scene
2. 颔联 (Chin Couplet) — Lines 3–4: Develop the theme (MUST be parallel)
3. 颈联 (Neck Couplet) — Lines 5–6: Deepen or turn the theme (MUST be parallel)
4. 尾联 (Closing Couplet) — Lines 7–8: Conclude with emotion or reflection

Tonal Patterns (平仄)

Characters are classified as 平 (level tone, píng) or 仄 (oblique tone, zè).

In modern Mandarin (普通话):

• 平 (píng): 1st tone (阴平) and 2nd tone (阳平)
• 仄 (zè): 3rd tone (上声) and 4th tone (去声)

Common Pattern (仄起平收式, starting oblique, ending level)

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)

Alternative Pattern (平起平收式, starting level, ending level)

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

Key Rules

1. Rhyme (押韵)

• Lines 1 (optional), 2, 4, 6, 8 must rhyme on the last character
• Rhyming characters must all be 平声 (1st or 2nd tone in modern Mandarin)
• All rhyming characters share the same 韵母 (final/vowel sound) in modern Mandarin
• Common rhyme groups: -an, -ang, -ing, -ong, -en, -ou, -ai, -ei, -ao

2. Tonal Opposition (对, 粘)

• 对 (opposition): Within each couplet, lines should have opposite tonal patterns at positions 2, 4, 6
• 粘 (adhesion): The first line of a new couplet should match the tonal pattern of the last line of the previous couplet at position 2

3. Parallelism (对仗)

The middle two couplets (颔联 lines 3–4, 颈联 lines 5–6) must be parallel:

• Matching grammatical structure (noun↔noun, verb↔verb, adjective↔adjective)
• Matching semantic categories (number↔number, color↔color, direction↔direction, nature↔nature)
• Opposite or complementary meaning preferred

Example of parallelism:

无边落木萧萧下 (boundless falling leaves rustling descend)
不尽长江滚滚来 (endless Yangtze River rolling comes)

4. Flexibility ("一三五不论，二四六分明")

• Positions 1, 3, 5 in each line have tonal flexibility
• Positions 2, 4, 6 must strictly follow the prescribed tonal pattern
• Position 7 (the last character) must also be strict

5. Avoid Tonal Monotony

• Avoid 三平尾 (three consecutive 平 at line end) — especially at positions 5-6-7
• Avoid 三仄尾 (three consecutive 仄 at line end)
• Avoid 孤平 (isolated level tone): in a line ending 平, having only one 平 among positions 2–6

Composition Workflow

1. Choose a rhyme group (韵脚) first
2. Draft the parallel couplets (颔联, 颈联) — these are hardest
3. Write opening and closing couplets
4. Check all tonal patterns at positions 2, 4, 6, 7
5. Verify parallelism in middle couplets
6. Verify rhyme consistency