Knowra Classical Chinese poetry Classical Chinese poetry Poetry composed in Literary Chinese, drawing on forms and conventions developed over centuries before modern vernacular literature. It includes regulated verse, song lyrics, and older forms such as the fu.
Literary Chinese : The written language used in China for formal texts from antiquity through the early twentieth century. Its compact, classical grammar supplies the medium of this poetry.
Regulated verse : A form of Chinese poetry governed by fixed line lengths, tonal patterns, rhyme, and parallelism. It is the most rule-bound major form within the classical tradition.
Classic of Poetry : The earliest extant anthology of Chinese poetry, containing songs traditionally dated from the eleventh to seventh centuries BCE. Its songs established enduring models of diction, voice, and poetic collection.
Qu Yuan : A Chinese poet traditionally dated to the fourth and third centuries BCE, associated with the Songs of Chu. His attributed works became foundational models of exile, loyalty, and visionary voice.
Chinese calligraphy : The art of writing Chinese characters with attention to brushwork, composition, and expressive form. Poems often circulated as calligraphic works, joining verbal and visual composition.
Chinese prosody : The study and practice of rhythm, tonal pattern, rhyme, and sound in Chinese verse. Poetic rules organize tones, syllables, and rhyme into patterned lines.
Jueju : A Chinese quatrain form, usually composed in five or seven characters per line. Its four lines compress a scene or turn of thought into a miniature structure.
Songs of Chu : An anthology of verse associated with the southern state of Chu and its poetic traditions. Its elaborate, shamanic imagery contrasts with the earlier anthology's song forms.
Tao Yuanming : A Chinese poet of the Eastern Jin period, celebrated for plain style and poems of rural life. His unadorned voice became a lasting alternative to courtly poetic polish.
Chinese painting : A visual art tradition using media such as ink and color on paper or silk. Poems and inscriptions frequently accompany paintings, framing their scenes and meanings.
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