Classification of couplets
Liang Zhangju's couplets in the Qing Dynasty, Conghua, Lianxu and Liansan Stories, divided couplets into ten categories, namely, stories, British rule, temples, stories, aphorisms, stories, couplets, sets of sentences and miscellaneous affixes. The Integration of Couplets published in the Republic of China divides couplets into 20 categories, namely, celebration, mourning, melancholy, learning, business, guild hall, temple, shrine, theater, first house, garden villa, New Year's Eve dinner, places of interest, gifts, incense, definite words, definite sentences, funny, vernacular and miscellaneous. These two classification methods are classified according to practical scope, but the latter is more detailed than the former. There are forty or fifty kinds of couplets if they are classified according to their literal structure, rhetorical devices and logical relations. For example:
1. Dual forms: word pair, object pair, pair pair, opposition, worker pair, width pair, line pair, palindrome pair, thimble equivalence.
2. Rhetoric: metaphor, exaggeration, backchat, pun, rhetorical question and homophonic.
3. Wording skills: embedding words, Tibetan words, compound words, reduplicated words, radicals, word analysis, word segmentation, numbers, etc.
4. Logical structure: juxtaposition, turning, choice, cause and effect.
With the development of society and culture, the theme of couplets will be more complete and perfect.
Standardization and creation of couplets
As the name implies, couplets should be "paired", that is, they are composed of upper and lower couplets. The upper and lower couplets must have the same number of words and the same content, that is, the upper and lower couplets can be "linked", and two unrelated sentences cannot be casually combined to form a couplet. Couplets are a comprehensive subject, with complex contents and various forms, and strict requirements on antithesis and leveling. This book will tell and analyze the creative methods according to the norms of couplets for the reference of those who learn to write couplets.
Yuan Shikai, a national thief, dreamed of becoming an emperor after winning the Revolution of 1911, but died before the appearance of the royal robes. After his death, someone gave him a pair of elegiac couplets, saying:
Yuan Shikai is eternal;
Long live the people of China.
Literally, this couplet is harmless, but if you look closely, the couplet above is five words and the couplet below is six words. I'm sorry to be here! A deacon saw the clue, and he secretly said to the mourners: This couplet is ill-intentioned, which means that we in Yuan Gong are sorry for the people!
This short story shows that the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal. Generally, couplets are written vertically, with the last word (tone) of the first couplet posted on the right (hand) and the last word (tone) of the second couplet posted on the left (hand).
Although antithesis of couplets has something in common with poetry, it is more demanding than poetry. Couplets can be divided into wide pairs and narrow pairs. Wide pairs can only be formed if the contents of the upper and lower couplets are related, while narrow pairs should be written in strict accordance with the standards of Li Weng Dui Yun. However, in practical couplets, wide couplets are often used, while narrow couplets are rarely used, because the requirements for antithesis are too strict, which restricts people's thinking and is suspected of hurting meaning because of the text.
Third, China's four tones and couplets.
The level and level of couplets are basically the same as poems. One yin applies the basic laws of poetry, with no distinction between 135 and 246.
How to judge the couplets? Besides distinguishing from the content of couplets, it is more important to judge from the flat sound at the end of couplets. It is strictly stipulated in couplets that the last word of the first couplet should be in a flat voice and the last word of the second couplet should be in a flat voice. Later generations called this rule "flat rise and flat fall". It must be noted that the "four tones" in ancient Chinese and modern Chinese are somewhat different. Since the popularization of hanyu pinyin and the use of Beijing pronunciation as the national common language, the level of the same Chinese character has changed. For example, according to the phonological standard of Pei Fu, the four tones are flat, up, down and inside. Pingsheng is listed as "Ping", and going up, going and entering are all listed as "Nuo". According to Beijing's intonation, it can be divided into flat tone, rising tone, rising tone and falling tone. In this way, there are more flat words, and some falling words are classified as flat words, which is worthy of attention of comrades who learn to write couplets. In ancient times, many linguists elaborated on the four tones of ancient Chinese in detail. For example, in the book Jade Key Song, Shi Vacuum made the following analysis:
1. Ping-Ping lived a low life. When reading, the pronunciation is peaceful, with a long ending and aftertaste.
2. Go up-go up and shout. Pronunciation is loud, voice is short and there is no ending.
3. It's a long way to go-to sound and mourn. The ending sound is short and high.
4. Input-Input a short and urgent set of sounds. The entrance is simple and urgent, the reception is short and deep, and there is no ending.
Generally speaking, flat words are relatively flat and have long endings. Short vowels or no vowels. Mr Liu Bannong, a modern linguist, first affirmed that the analysis of four tones in ancient Chinese by vacuum interpretation is correct. Mr. Bannon made a supplement according to his own research. He said: "The sound is smooth and smooth, with the least twists and turns, which is often called balanced sound. The two sounds are the most tortuous, rising or falling, falling or rising or falling. It should be unbalanced. The shortest tone is called promoting sound. " Mr. Bannon's argument is simple and clear. Mr. Zhang Shilu simply divided the four tones into two categories: the flat tone is where the long step is, the flat tone is where the short step is, and the flat tone is mainly the difference in length. The author also believes that apart from the long and short steps, the pronunciation of the four tones in ancient Chinese is also quite different. For example, from the beginning of the flat tone, the scale rises gradually, and reaches its peak at the third tone, which means the highest pronunciation. The entrance sound plummeted, and the volume was low, short and simple. In short: be quiet and sad, raise your voice greatly, stay away from the voice clearly, and raise your voice directly. The above essay is just a general method, which readers can verify in their study and practice.
In order to practice the ability to distinguish four tones, the ancients listed the following 32 words as the basic knowledge of leveling. As long as you can master these words, other words can also be learned by analogy.
1. one two three four five six seven eight nine X. These ten numbers are: in, out, in, in, in, in.
2. Party A, Party B, Party D, Party E, Party G, Party D, Party B ... The level of the cross is: going to the next level, going to the next level.
The ugly son defended at noon. These twelve words are: up, up, up, up, up and down.
Using Beijing intonation to mark the four tones of Chinese, namely, flat tone, rising tone, falling tone, all evolved from the four tones of ancient Chinese. People used to judge the flat tone of couplets based on the four tones of ancient Chinese. Nowadays, four tones in modern Chinese are rarely used to correct, write poems and fill words except pronunciation. However, with the popularization of Putonghua and the passage of time, the four tones of modern Chinese have finally been accepted by people.
4. You should know that some Chinese characters are always used horizontally, either horizontally or horizontally, such as reading, teaching, doing, thinking, alongside ... For example:
(1) "Look" is a flat sound: the incense burner emits purple smoke, and the waterfall hangs in front of the river; On the high cliff, it seems to be thousands of feet high, which makes people think that the Milky Way has fallen from heaven to earth.
(2) "Look" and groan: plum acid splashes teeth, and banana leaves a green screen; Spring goes to summer, and the days are long and tired. After a nap, I feel depressed and watch the children play with catkins in the air.
(3) "Teach" to be quiet: cherries, apricots, peaches and pomegranates bloom first, so teach them to plant one by one by the window; The bamboo shadow is like a willow, and it clearly enters the house.
(4) "teaching" sounds: chalk has a fast career and teaches students in accordance with their aptitude; The peaches and plums in the garden are full of vitality, and the rain and spring breeze bloom for the second time.
(5) Speaking for Wei: First, moving to Changsha, looking to Chang 'an in the west, not seeing home; There was a flute sound of "Plum Blossom" from the Yellow Crane Tower, and another drop of plum blossom was seen on the river bank in May.
(6) Unjust for Wei: I have made great contributions to Hanwang, but I have not put myself in my heart; If I had known that rabbits don't eat dog meat, I would have regretted sitting in Huaiyin and fishing.
Fourthly, the phrase structure of couplets.
In addition to rhyming antithesis, couplets also have certain rules in terms of phrases and structures. For example:
Shake red;
Detui
(single group, two-character structure)
Moderate benefit;
Full of loss.
(single group, three-character structure)
Happiness lies in contentment;
Can tolerate self-satisfaction.
(single group, four-character structure)
Zhifang concentric knot;
Lotus flowers bloom and fall.
(single group, five-character structure)
Conggui is full of fragrance;
Kunshan and Pian Yu are priceless.
(compound group, six-character structure)
Chunjiang peach leaves are wet;
It rains at night and butterflies dream of cold.
(compound group, seven-character structure)
There are hundreds of rivers and great tolerance;
The wall stands a thousand miles, and it is just without desire.
(compound group, eight-character structure)
From ancient times to the present, start again;
Let's talk about emotions first, and then talk about the beginning.
(compound group, nine-character structure)
Three thousand warriors, arrived at the land of secluded swallows;
Dragonfly ninth five-year plan, the day of reopening the Great Song Dynasty.
(Complex group, cross structure)
Forty thousand dollars, the bright moon and the breeze are valuable today;
A pair of white jade, the poet's name is Gu.
(compound group, eleven-character structure)
Heaven and earth show great kindness, and Junzi feels the same;
Ancient and modern Kyushu national glory.
(compound group, twelve-character structure)
The phrases and structures of couplets should be consistent. The upper couplet is a verb-object structure, and the lower couplet must also be a verb-object structure phrase, such as "shake red; Cui Di. " The upper couplet is a radical phrase, and the lower couplet must also have a radical phrase, such as "concentric knot" and "flower with the same pedicle", which are all of the same phrase structure. When planning the layout of couplets, we must pay attention to the fact that the phrase structure of the upper and lower couplets must be consistent, which is also an important rule that the couplets authors must follow.
Five, the rules of starting sentences of couplets
There are two rules at the beginning of couplets: single eyelid and flat heel, just like metrical poems. The second word of the couplet is wrinkled and the second word is flat. For example:
Five-character couplets:
Although a country is divided, mountains and rivers remain forever; Trees and grass turn green again in spring.
●●○○● ○○●●○
Why is the room elegant? Not many flowers.
●●○○● ○○●●○
The second word in the uplink is voiced and the second word in the downlink is voiced.
Five-character parallel start:
Gong Gaosi does not cut; There is no dispute between the two sides.
○○●●○ ●●●○○
Six-character couplets:
Domestic articles are the first; North Korea's prime minister is unparalleled.
●●○○●● ○○●●○○
Six-character combination:
Don't be surprised by the moonlight; In the middle of the night, the wind is clear and cicadas are singing.
●○●○○● ○○●●○○
Seven-character parallel start:
Stay in spring, but don't stay in the city: cherish the night and travel by candlelight;
○○●●○○● ●●○○●●○
Seven-character couplets:
Lakes and mountains; All the families are worried.
●●○○○●● ●○○●●○○
The specifications of eight-character parallel leveling are mostly four or four broken sentences, or three or five broken sentences, such as:
Plum blossom incense seats;
○●○○ ○○●●
Bluebud grew longer and longer, and reached the stage.
○○●○ ●●○○
Back to heaven and earth, Qiong Tian is green;
○○● ○○○●●
Yang Dongfeng, the small garden is full of flowers.
●○○ ●●●○○
Eight-character parallel start:
Wine can succeed, wine can fail;
●○○● ●○●●
The knife cuts bread and fingers.
●●●○ ●●●○
Sentence patterns of nine-character couplets;
There is no easy situation in the world;
○●●○●●○●●
There is no free time on earth.
○○○●○○●○○
Nine-word joint sentence pattern:
An old frontiersman loses his horse—a blessing in disguise.
●○●● ●○○○●
Zheng man is a deer, and his desire is true.
●○●● ●○●●○
Cross couplets generally adopt four or six parallel prose formats:
Door nine, three wins;
○●●○ ●●○○●●
Step by step, look down on thousands of wonders.
○○●● ○○○●○○
For long couplets with more than ten words, in addition to the requirement of parallelism, the parallelism of the last word of each sentence should also be coordinated. This couplet, such as the following example, is smooth and balanced except for every broken sentence, and every word in the couplet is smooth and stable.
You can stay here, cut candles and talk about the scenery in your hometown. Jian gexiong; Emeixiu, Bashan Qu,
○ ○ ● ○ ● ●
Clear water, endless mountains and rivers, all to the fundus;
○ ○ ●
In Beijing, I offered my thoughts and lashed North Road, and the sages will never forget it. Keywords xiangru fu, Taibai poem, Dongpo prose,
● ● ○ ● ○ ○
I went to buddhist nun to meet a beautiful woman and a gifted scholar, and then I went to Chang 'an.
● ● ○