100 Chinese Classic Elements (57): Couplets

Couplets are commonly known as "couples" and "couples". It is simple in expression, profound in meaning, neat in contrast, and harmonious in level and oblique. It is a unique art form of the Chinese language with one word and one sound. It can be said that the art of couplets is a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation.

Classification

The types of couplets are roughly divided into spring couplets, happy couplets, longevity couplets, elegiac couplets, decorative couplets, industry couplets, social couplets and miscellaneous couplets (including humorous couplets... .)wait.

The length of the couplet text varies. The short ones are only one or two words; the long ones can reach hundreds of words. There are various forms of couplets, including positive pairs, opposing pairs, running-water pairs, joint-ball pairs, and collection-sentence pairs. However, no matter what type of couplet and what form is used, it must have the following characteristics:

Format

1. The number of words must be equal and the sentences must be consistent. Unless the position of a certain word is intentionally left vacant to achieve a certain effect, the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be the same, no more and no less.

2. The levels and tones must be consistent and the tones must be harmonious. The traditional custom is "廄 rises and flat falls", that is, the last word of the first line is in the square tone, and the last word of the second line is in the flat tone.

3. The parts of speech should be relative and the positions should be the same. It is generally called "Void to Void, Real to Real", that is, noun to noun, verb to verb, adjective to adjective, quantifier to quantifier, adverb to adverb, and relative words must be in the same position.

4. The content should be relevant and connected from top to bottom. The meanings of the upper and lower lines must be connected to each other, but they cannot be repeated.

In addition, the traditional practice of hanging couplets must be written vertically, from right to left, from top to bottom, and cannot be reversed.

Hengpi, which is closely related to the couplet, can be said to be the title and the center of the couplet. Good horizontal batches can play a finishing touch and complement each other in the couplets.

Taboo

1. Avoid ending with the same sound

This is in terms of the relationship between the clauses and sentences in the first or second line. For a couplet composed of multiple clauses, the arrangement of the footings of each clause can, strictly speaking, be governed by horse hoof rhyme. The so-called horse hoof rhyme refers to the flat and oblique arrangement of the feet of a sentence like the walking of a horse, with the back foot following the front foot prints. The flat format is: flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, flat. However, the author believes that starting from the current situation and development trend of couplets, taking into account the characteristics of the couplets that "the couplets have no final sentences and the sentences have no final characters", as well as the complexity of the couplet sentence pattern and other factors, the metrical requirements for the arrangement of the sentence feet are also "Don't settle with the same voice" can be the rule. To be more precise, this rule has two requirements: (1) If there are two to three clauses on each side, it is required that all clauses cannot end at the same time. (2) If there are more than four clauses on each side, it is required that each clause cannot be three consecutive sentences (exceptions can be made when connecting sentences and middle clauses) or three or more sentences can end at the same time. This kind of rule is concise and clear in theory and flexible in application. It not only embodies the combination of principle and theory, but also accommodates several major different opinions on the issue of equivalence of sentences and footings. Taking the top couplet of five sentences on each side as an example, according to the rules of "horse hoof rhyme", there are only two formal patterns: 仄仄平平仄 and 仄平平平仄 (when divided into paragraphs in the middle), and there is another type of 仄平平仄仄 Variations, ***three formats. According to the rule of "avoid ending with the same sound", then, 仄仄平仄, 仄平平仄 (when divided into paragraphs in the middle), 仄平平任仄, 任仄平任仄, 仄仄平仄, 任仄仄仄, 平平仄仄 Eleven formats such as , 平平廄平廄, 平仄仄平廄, 平仄平平廄, 平仄平仄仄 are all qualified, and there is no need to distinguish between the regular case and the deformed case.

2. Avoid ending with the same sound

This is in terms of the relationship between the first couplet and the second couplet. To be more precise, this rule also has two requirements: (1) Regardless of the length of a couplet and the number of clauses, it is required that the first line of the couplet ends with a oblique tone, that is, the last word of the first couplet should be with an oblique tone; the second couplet is required to end with a level tone. Generally, the first line cannot end with a flat tone, and the second line cannot end with a flat tone. (2) The upper and lower couplets cannot end in the same tone, that is, the last character of the upper and lower couplets cannot both be in the oblique tone or the same tone.

3. Avoid three flat or three oblique tails

It refers to the last three characters in a sentence, which should be avoided as much as possible. For example, "sitting on the lotus platform due to deep connections", if "sitting" is changed to "climbing", it becomes three flat tails. Another example is "One can enter the Tao by cultivating according to the law." If "can" is changed to "can", it will become a triple ending. There is no difference between three flat tails or three square tails in terms of flat and flat tails. To reflect the theoretical consistency, both should be regarded as taboos. You cannot only avoid three flat tails but not three square tails.

4. Avoid Guping or Guku

It means that in a sentence of five or six characters, you should try to avoid having only one flat character or only one oblique character in the whole sentence. For example: "Everything goes as expected", if it is changed to "Everything goes as expected", it is Guping; another example: "Bodhi is ready at this moment", if it is changed to "Bodhi is perfected at this moment", it is Guqing. Here, the author will briefly discuss the Guping issue. The author believes that couplets do not have to completely follow traditional poetic rules. From the perspective of couplets, "in a five-character or six-character sentence, if there is only one flat tone, it is a solitary tone." This definition is more concise and reasonable. Because: First, this definition’s requirements for level and toe are generally looser, which is in line with the development trend of couplet rhythm. Secondly, according to the traditional poetry rhythm, the so-called Guping also requires the addition of sentence footings. However, there is a big difference between couplets and modern poetry, that is, the leveling requirements for the last characters (sentence footings) are different, and rhyme is not required, so in In the couplet, the last word (sentence foot) does not have to be marked out separately.

Thirdly, from a literal perspective, Gu is one. If the literal meaning and actual meaning of Gu Ping are completely consistent, it will be helpful for understanding and operation. The solitary tone of traditional poetic rhythm is: in the sentence pattern of five-character flat rise and seven-character straight rise, in addition to the flat-tone characters in rhyme, if only one word in the sentence is a flat-tone character, it is a "lone flat". This kind of definition, in fact, has fixed Gu Ping in one or two sentence patterns (specifically, the five-character "平平廄廄平" has become "廄平仄廄平", and the seven-character "廻仄平廄廄平" ” becomes “廄仄廄平廄廄平”, which is Guping). Therefore, the word Guping must be supplemented with additional explanations so that people can actually understand and operate it. Fourth, in terms of five-character couplets, if only "廄平廄廄平" is Guping, then let's take a look at "廄仄仄平廄" and compare the two formats. From the perspective of the rigidity and monotony of Pingchui, Which one is more rigid and monotonous? Fifth, modern poetry is mainly composed of five or seven words. Therefore, in six-character couplets, the concept of traditional poetic rhythm cannot be explained, and in six-character couplets, the phenomenon of solitary poetry may also exist.

In addition, there is no difference between Gu Ping and Gu Ze in terms of monotony. Authors of ancient and modern poetry couplets, whether they are concerned with Gu Ping or Gu Ze, actually avoid it if they can. Therefore, taking both as taboos at the same time not only reflects theoretical consistency, but also stems from the actual situation. Incidentally, it should be pointed out that according to the author's above definition, the phenomenon of Gu Ping or Kuai actually only exists in five-character and six-character sentences, because in sentences of more than seven characters, if the basic requirements for the alternation of flat and oblique are observed, there will be no Appear solitary or flat.

5. Avoid repeating words in the same position and repeating words in different places

Duplicate or repeated words are allowed in couplets. This is a commonly used rhetorical technique in couplets. However, when overlapping, pay attention to the consistency of the upper and lower couplets. For example, "the world is busy" versus "the mortal world is rolling". Among them, "busy" is opposite to "rolling", which is a overlap of words; another example:

Cultivation is to cultivate the mind, and an empty heart is the shore of nirvana;< /p>

Seeing the cause is like seeing the effect, and the fruits are as painful as those in hell.

Among them, "xiu" versus "view", "yes" versus "ru", and "heart" versus "fruit" are the opposites of each other. However, repeated words in the same position and different positions should be avoided as much as possible in the couplets. Words with the same position are repeated, which means that the same word appears in the same position in the upper and lower conjunctions, such as "Dharma Realm" versus "World", "Enlightenment" versus "Become a Demon". However, some function words (such as "huoye", etc.) with the same position and repeated characters are allowed, such as:

Fish that slip through the net, there are always fish in the world;

Those who escape from the sky There are no birds in the universe yet.

The same word appears in different positions in the upper and lower lines. For example:

Don’t be greedy if your karma cannot flow;

Don’t hate others who have the same destiny.

If the word "mo" in the second line is changed to "no", it will be in the same position as the word "no" in the first line.

Duplicate words in the same position and different positions are taboos in couplets. However, there is a special heterotopic mutual repetition format that is allowed, such as:

There is no moon and a full moon, it will follow you;

Although there are flowers blooming and falling, you will by it.

The "it" in the couplet is opposite to the "you", which means they are in different positions and emphasize each other.

6. Avoid synonymous relativity

Synonymous relativity is also known as gassho. The so-called avoidance of synonymous relative terms refers to sentences in the upper and lower couplets that are relative, and their meanings should be avoided as much as possible. For example, "Rising Sun" versus "Rising Sun", "Historical Records" versus "History", "China's Eternal Show" versus "Chixian Ten Thousand Years of Spring", etc., belong to the combination of palms. Of course, it does not matter if some non-central words (especially function words) appear in the gasshang, or if the gassho part plays a very small role in the couplet. It is not a bad idea to compare sentences with similar meanings.

The origin and development of couplets

Couplets are one of my country’s unique literary forms. Its wonderful combination with calligraphy has become a colorful artistic creation of the Chinese nation. Couplets, also known as "couples", are named after the couplets that were often hung in the halls and halls of houses in ancient times. As early as before the Qin and Han Dynasties, there was a custom of hanging peach charms during the Chinese New Year. The so-called peach charms are the names of the legendary ghost-conquering gods "Shen Tu" and "Yu Lei", written on two peach boards respectively and hung on the left and right doors to drive away ghosts and suppress evil spirits. This custom lasted for more than a thousand years. It was not until the Five Dynasties that people began to inscribe couplets on peach boards. According to the "History of the Shu Family in the Song Dynasty", Meng Chang, the lord of Shu after the Five Dynasties, "every year, he ordered a scholar to compose a poem, write a peach charm, and place it around the door of his bed. In the last year of his life (AD 964), the scholar Xing Yinxun wrote a poem, and Chang used it as a poem. Fei Gong's self-motivated inscription says: "New Year's Day", "Jia Festival" is Changchun. This is the earliest Spring Festival couplet in my country. After the Song Dynasty, it has become quite common for folk to hang Spring Festival couplets during the New Year. The sentence in Wang Anshi's poem "Thousands of households always replace old talismans with new peaches" is a true portrayal of the grand occasion at that time. Since the appearance of Spring Festival couplets is closely related to Taofu, the ancients also called Spring Festival couplets "Taofu".

It was not until the Ming Dynasty that people began to use red paper instead of peach boards, resulting in the Spring Festival couplets we see today. According to the "Miscellaneous Stories of Hairpin Cloud Tower", after Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty established his capital in Jinling, before New Year's Eve, he ordered the ministers, officials, and common people to add a Spring Festival couplet to every door, and he personally went out incognito to watch and enjoy the couplets door to door. Since then, all literati have regarded the combination of title and couplets as an elegant thing. After entering the Qing Dynasty, couplets were at their peak, and many famous and famous couplets appeared.

With the development of cultural exchanges between countries, couplets have also been introduced to Vietnam, North Korea, Japan, Singapore and other countries. These countries still retain the custom of posting couplets.

Introduction to couplets

Chinese calligraphy is extensive and profound, with endless charm. There are various styles of seal script, official script and regular script, which are either majestic, vigorous, graceful, dignified or simple, or are handsome, unrestrained and gentle. The beauty is the most beautiful, giving people a sense of elegance and beauty. The couplets are concise, neat and precise, with the number of words in the couplets ranging from four to as many as one. Five or seven-character rhymed poems and eight-character prose are the most common. The content is rich, including several poems, aphorisms, aphorisms, proverbs and even vernacular. , elegant and dazzling, with dazzling literary talent, it is really a chapter that shines on people's eyes and every word is precious. Therefore, integrating calligraphy and couplets, appreciating the poetic philosophy of beautiful prose in calligraphy and ink, and appreciating the charm of beautiful books between words and sentences are indeed the perfect embodiment of humanities and art. Throughout the ages, calligraphers have been happy to use this as a reward and gift, and literati like to hang this elegance on their walls. This is believed to be the charm of the beauty of both calligraphy and writing and the interplay of artistic interest, which makes people fall in love with it and will last forever.

Development

The Chinese Couplet Society is a national first-level society registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The emergence of the Internet has enabled couplets to break through the local communication situation. The couplet website forum reached [url=http://dopic.org/bbs/25-23.htm]in 2004, [url=http: //dopic.org/bbs/25-58.htm] There has been considerable development in 2005.

Accumulation

In ancient times, someone once posted a unique couplet on the door of their home:

First couplet: two two three three four four five

p>

The second couplet: six six seven seven eight eight nine

The horizontal line is: two four seven three

This is a special couplet, which is composed of numbers. Moreover, it is a hidden word couplet. The first couplet lacks "one" and the second couplet lacks "ten". The homophony of numbers is used to connect it to "lack of food and clothing", while the horizontal line is: "son (2) death (4) wife (7)" ) scattered (3)".

It turns out that this family is using digital couplets to tell people about the darkness of society!

Appreciate two more clever digital couplets. First, "The Yuan Gui in Luoshui presented auspiciousness at the beginning. The yin number is nine, the yang number is nine, and the number is nine, nine, and eighty-one. The number is connected to the Tao, and the Tao is in line with the Yuanshi Tianzun. I sincerely feel it; the red and phoenixes of Qishan Mountain are auspicious, and the majestic Ming six, female singing six, sixty-six thirty-six sounds, heard in the sky, born as Emperor Jiajing, long life without borders. "This is a Ming Dynasty temple ritual couplet, written by Yuan Wei (see Ming Dynasty Shen Defu "Wanli Yehuo"). 》). Another couplet from the Shimiao Zhaijiao says: "Pure the yarrow grass to write it down. The number of heaven is five, the number of earth is five, the number of five-five is twenty-five. The number is born from the Tao. The Tao is in harmony with the Heavenly Lord of the Yuan Dynasty. He is the supreme one. The bamboo tube is composed of six yang sounds, six yin sounds, and sixty-six thirty-six sounds. The sound is heard in the sky. The Emperor Jiajing was born and the emperor will rule for ten thousand years. "The words and sentences of this couplet are similar to the previous couplet. It is said to be Xia Yan. Handwriting. ⑵

In August of the fifty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1790), Emperor Gaozong lived eighty years. There is one long couplet in the sutra altar that is the most magnificent and popular. According to legend, it was written by Peng Yuanrui, the Minister of Finance. Lian Yun says: "There are five years since Long Fei is fifty, celebrating a time when the five numbers combine with the sky, the five numbers combine with the earth, the five things are cultivated, the five blessings are prepared, the five generations live in the same house, and the five colors are brilliant; the crane is eighty and falls in August. Wish you a long life. Eight thousand is spring, eight thousand is autumn, eight yuan is advancing, eight is ascending, eight notes follow the rhythm, and eight winds are misty playing Danqi.”

Finally, let’s talk about an interesting couplet with numbers to win. story. According to legend, during the Ming Dynasty, there was a poor scholar who was quite talented. However, due to the prevalence of favoritism and malpractice in the imperial examination at that time, he failed repeatedly in his attempts. A year later, it was time for the examination again. He heard that the examiner was honest and upright and appointed people on their merits, so he packed his bags and went to the capital to take the examination again. The journey was long, and although the scholar traveled day and night, when he arrived in the capital, the examination had already ended. The scholar tried his best to persuade him, but he finally moved the examiner and allowed him to make up the exam. The question asked by the examiner required him to make a couplet using ten numbers from one to ten. After the scholar heard this, he thought to himself, I will tell you the reasons for my bumpy journey and missed the exam, in order to get the examiner's understanding, and he blurted out: "It's a lonely boat with two or three rogues, four oars and five sails." After passing through six beaches and seven bays, I came very late." The examiner secretly exclaimed: "This life's talent is really not shallow!" Then he asked the scholar to write a couplet from ten to one. The scholar wanted to express his difficulties in studying and taking exams over the years, so he said loudly: "In ten years of hard work, I entered ninety-eight academies. I gave up all my emotions and six desires. I studied the Five Classics and Four Books hard. I took the exam three times and two times. I must pass the exam today. ." After hearing this, the examiner praised it repeatedly. He also asked for answers in couplets, and all the scholars could answer them fluently. This year's title of Jieyuan was snatched away by this poor scholar.

Classification, specifications and creation methods of couplets

Classification of couplets

Liang Zhangju’s "Couplet Conghua", "Couplet Continuation", "Couplet Three" written by Liang Zhangju of the Qing Dynasty "Words" divides couplets into ten categories, namely stories, responses, temples, temples, monuments, historical sites, aphorisms, good stories, elegy, collections, and miscellaneous fragments. The "Collection of Couplets" published during the Republic of China divided the couplets into twenty categories, namely celebrations, condolences, buildings, schools, businesses, guild halls, ancestral temples, monasteries, theaters, houses, gardens, old age, places of interest, investment Gift, fragrance, collection of words, collection of sentences, comedy, vernacular, miscellany. Both classification methods are divided by practical scope, but the latter is more detailed than the former. If classified according to the text structure, rhetorical skills, and logical relationships of couplets, there are forty or fifty types. For example:

1. Dual forms: speech pair, matter pair, positive pair, opposition, work pair, broad pair, flowing pair, palindrome pair, thimble pair, etc.

2. Rhetorical techniques: metaphor, hyperbole, rhetoric, pun, question, homophony.

3. Word usage skills: embedded words, hidden words, compound words, repeated words, radicals, word analysis, word splitting, numbers, etc.

4. Logical structure: juxtaposition, transition, choice, cause and effect.

With the development of society and the further development of culture, the subjects of couplets will be more complete and perfect.

Standards and Creation of Couplets

As the name suggests, couplets must be in "pairs", that is, they consist of an upper couplet and a lower couplet. The number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal, and the content must be consistent, that is, the upper and lower couplets must be "connected" together. Two unrelated sentences cannot be randomly combined to form a couplet. The subject of couplets is a comprehensive subject with complex content, diverse forms, and strict requirements for contrast and balance. This book will describe and analyze the creation methods according to the standards of couplets for reference by those who learn to write couplets.

After seizing the fruits of the Revolution of 1911, the great thief Yuan Shikai dreamed of becoming an emperor, but he died before the robe came on stage. After his death, someone gave him an elegiac couplet, which read:

Yuan Shikai will last forever;

Long live the Chinese people.

Literally, there is no malice in this couplet, but if you read it carefully, you will find that the first couplet has five characters and the second couplet has six characters. This elegiac couplet is so sorry! One of the deacons saw the clues and secretly said to the mourner: The purpose of this elegiac couplet is not good. It means that we, Mr. Yuan, have failed the people!

This little story illustrates that the number of characters in the upper and lower couplets must be equal. Couplets are generally written vertically, with the last character (oblique tone) of the first couplet on the right (upper hand) and the last character (flat tone) of the second couplet on the left (lower hand).

Although the antithesis of couplets is similar to that of poetry, it is more demanding than poetry. There are broad and narrow couplets. A wide pair only requires that the contents of the upper and lower couplets are connected to form a couplet, while a narrow pair must be written strictly according to the standards of "Li Weng Duiyun". However, in practical couplets, wide pairs are more often used, while narrow pairs are often used because the requirements for antithesis are too strict, which restricts people's thinking and is suspected of being harmful to the text, so it is rarely used.

3. Chinese Four Tones and Couplets

The rules of level and obliqueness of couplets are basically the same as those of poetry. Yiyin applies the basic rule of poetry that one, three, five, and two, four and six are distinct.

How to determine the upper and lower lines of a couplet? In addition to distinguishing from the content of the couplet, it is more important to judge from the equivocal tone at the end of the couplet. The couplets strictly stipulate that the last word of the first couplet should be in oblique tone, and the last word of the second couplet should be in flat tone. Later generations called this rule the ups and downs. It must be noted that the "four tones" of ancient Chinese and modern Chinese are somewhat different. Since the promotion of Hanyu pinyin and the adoption of Beijing pronunciation as the national common language, the same Chinese characters have changed. For example, according to the phonological standard of "Peiwen Yunfu", the four tones are Ping, Shang, Qu and Ru. Ping tone is classified as "ping", and Shang, Lai and Ru are all summarized into "廄". According to the Beijing intonation, it is divided into Yinping, Yangping, Shangsheng and Qusheng. As a result, there are more characters for Pingsheng and there is no "ru" sound. Some of the characters for Qushengsheng are classified into Pingsheng. This is worthwhile for comrades who are learning to compose couplets. Attention. Since ancient times, many language scholars have made a relatively detailed explanation of the four tones of ancient Chinese. Ru Shivacu made the following analysis in his book "Jade Key Song Jue":

1. Ping - Ping Sing and Ping Dao, don't be too low. When read, the pronunciation is gentle, the ending sound is long, and there is a lingering rhyme.

2. Go up - shout loudly and violently. The pronunciation is loud, the sound is short, and there is no ending.

3. Go - go away with clear mourning. The pronunciation of the falling tone is round and round, and the ending sound is short and high-pitched.

4. Enter - the entry sound is short and urgent. The pronunciation of the entering tone is simple and urgent, and the closing tone is short, low, and has no ending.

Generally speaking, Ping tone characters have a gentle sound and a long ending sound. The oblique characters have a short final sound or no final sound. Mr. Liu Bannong, a modern linguist, first confirmed that Shi Vacuum's analysis of the four tones of ancient Chinese was correct. Mr. Bannong added based on his own research. He said: "The flat tone has the least twists and turns, which is commonly known as the balanced tone. The two tones that go up have the most twists, either rising, falling, falling, or rising. It should be an unbalanced tone. The entry tone is the shortest, which is called promoting tone." Mr. Bannong's discussion is simple and clear. Mr. Zhang Shilu more briefly divided the flat tones into two categories. The flat tones are where the long steps are, and the oblique tones are where the short steps are. The main difference between the long and short tones is the flat tones. The author also believes that the four tones of ancient Chinese, in addition to being divided into long steps and short steps, also have very different pronunciation levels. For example, take "Dongdong Liangdu" as an example. Starting from the flat tone, the scale gradually increases to The falling tone reaches its peak, that is, the third tone has the highest pronunciation. The entrance sound plummets, the volume is low, short and concise. In short: the flat voice is sad and peaceful, the rising voice is sharp and raised, the falling voice is clear and distant, and the entering voice is straight and quick. The above discussion is just a general method, and readers can verify it in their study and practice.

In order to practice the ability to distinguish the four tones, the ancients listed the following thirty-two characters as characters to train the basic knowledge of ping and lei. As long as you can master the ping and lei of these characters skillfully, then the ping and lei of other characters will be You can draw parallels and understand it immediately after reading it.

1. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ninety. These ten numbers are in order: enter, go, level, go up, enter, enter, go up.

2. A, B, B, D, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Rengui. The levels of this cross are: enter, go up, go up, go up, go up, go up, go up, go up.

3. Zichou Yin Mao Chen Siwu did not apply for You Xuhai.

These twelve characters are: Shang Shang Ping Shang Ping Shang Shang Ping Shang Enter Shang.

The four tones of Chinese are marked with Beijing intonation, which are Yinping, Yangping, rising tone and falling tone. They all evolved from the four tones of ancient Chinese. People are still used to judging couplets tones. The four tones of ancient Chinese are used as the standard. Nowadays, apart from correcting pronunciation, the four tones of modern Chinese are rarely used to compose dialogues, write poems, and fill in lyrics. But with the promotion of Mandarin and the passage of time, the four tones of modern Chinese have finally been accepted by people.

4. You must know: some Chinese characters have always been used interchangeably between plain and oblique, and can be used as flat or oblique sounds, such as kan, jiao, wei, si, pang... A few examples are as follows:

(1) " "Look" is used as a flat tone: the daily incense burner produces purple smoke, and you can see the waterfall hanging in front of the river in the distance; the water flows down three thousand feet, which is suspected to be the Milky Way falling from the sky.

(2) "Look" is made in a flat sound: the plums drip with sourness and splash on the teeth, the bananas are green and covered with window screens; the day is long and I fall asleep with no thoughts, and I watch the children catching willow flowers.

(3) "Jiao" is pronounced in a flat tone: the cherries, apricots, peach and durians are blooming one after another, so Jiao is planted one by one by the window; the bamboo shadows are leaning against the willows, and the clear shade enters the house.

(4) "Teach" is made in oblique tone: Chalk life is also happy, and good talents are educated according to their aptitude; the garden is full of peaches and plums, full of vitality, turning into rain and spring breeze in succession.

(5) "Wei" is a flat tone: One is to move to Changsha, looking west to Chang'an but not seeing home; the jade flute is played in the Yellow Crane Tower, and the plum blossoms fall in May in Jiangcheng.

(6) "Wei" is pronounced in a oblique tone: It was originally for the King of Han to accomplish great feats, but he did not take himself into consideration. I had known that the rabbit would end up cooking the dog, but I regretted that I would end up fishing in Huaiyin.

The phrase structure of couplets

In addition to requiring rhyme and antithesis, couplets also have certain rules for phrases and structures. Such as:

Shake red;

Poly green.

(Single group, two-character structure)

Modest will benefit;

Full will cause losses.

(Single group, three-character structure)

Be content with what you have;

Be able to endure and be at ease.

(Single group, four-character structure)

Gardenia flowers are placed in concentric knots;

The lotus flowers are in bloom and pedunculated.

(Single group, five-character structure)

A branch of Conggui is full of fragrance;

Kunshan piece of jade connects the city.

(Complex group, six-character structure)

The peach-leaf warbler cries wetness in the spring river;

It rains at night and the plum blossom butterfly dreams of coldness.

(Complex group, seven-character structure)

The sea accepts all rivers, and it is great to be tolerant;

Standing on a wall with thousands of feet, it is strong to have no desire.

(Complex group, eight-character structure)

Retell the past and present;

Retell the joys and sorrows again from the beginning.

(Complex group, nine-character structure)

Three thousand tigers and benign beasts reach the land of Youyan;

The dragon flies in ninety-five, reopening the sky of the Song Dynasty.

(Complex group, cross structure)

Forty thousand green coins, the bright moon and clear breeze are valuable today;

A pair of white jade, a famous poet and general who has no companions in ancient times.

(Compound group, eleven-character structure)

Heaven and earth show great mercy, and the innocent and gray-headed people feel the same sympathy;

The ancient and modern have been honored, and the nine states and all nations have been favored. Glory.

(Complex group, twelve-character structure)

The phrases and structures of the upper and lower couplets should be consistent and unified. The upper couplet has a verb-object structure, and the second couplet must also be a verb-object structure. Phrases with an object structure, such as "Shake red; Di Cui." The upper line is a positive phrase, and the second line must also be opposite to it with a positive phrase, such as "Tongxinknot" and "Bingdihua", which have the same phrase structure. When planning the layout of couplet phrases, it is important to note that the phrase structures of the upper and lower couplets must be the same. This is also an important rule that couplet authors must follow.

. . . . . .