Knowra Li Qingzhao Li Qingzhao Li Qingzhao was a Song dynasty poet whose ci lyrics are celebrated for their emotional precision and distinctive voice. She also wrote about poetry and bronze antiquities.
Ci poetry : A Chinese lyric form written to set tunes, with regulated patterns of tone, rhythm, and line length. Li Qingzhao became one of ci poetry’s most celebrated practitioners.
Like a Dream : A ci lyric by Li Qingzhao recalling a drunken outing and a boat lost among lotus flowers. Its playful, vivid scene displays the compressed movement and sensory detail of her early lyrics.
Zhao Mingcheng : A Song dynasty scholar and antiquarian who compiled a major catalogue of ancient inscriptions with Li Qingzhao. Their shared collecting and scholarship shaped her domestic and intellectual life.
Tune pattern : A prescribed metrical and tonal scheme that governs the structure of a ci lyric. Li Qingzhao’s lyrics gain expressive force by fitting changing moods to established patterns.
On Ci : A critical essay attributed to Li Qingzhao that discusses ci poetry, musicality, and artistic standards. The essay records her explicit standards for the form in which she became renowned.
Song dynasty : A Chinese dynasty that ruled from 960 to 1279, marked by major cultural and economic growth. Li Qingzhao’s life and literary career unfolded during the Song dynasty.
A Tune: Slow, Slow : A ci lyric by Li Qingzhao that opens with repeated words and evokes solitude, cold, and grief. Its stark language is among the clearest examples of her later lyric voice.
Li Gefei : A Northern Song scholar and official, remembered as Li Qingzhao’s father. His literary household helped form the environment in which Li Qingzhao developed as a writer.
Diction : The choice and arrangement of words in speech or writing, including their tone and associations. Her compact, carefully chosen words make emotional shifts feel immediate.
Song dynasty literature : The poetry, prose, drama, and scholarship produced during the Song dynasty. Her poetry and criticism occupy a distinctive place within Song literary history.
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