Introduction to Lexicology -- Common Knowledge of Poetry and Prose: Famous People Discuss Four Types

Author: Wu Zhangshu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-04-01
Features: Words are a literary form closely related to music. Initially called "quci," they were originally used to accompany music in singing. First came the melody, then lyrics were composed based on its length and rhythm, hence the term "yisheng tiwen," which means filling in lyrics according to the melody. "Ci" is a short form of "quci." The development of ci reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. It succeeded Tang poetry and paved the way for Yuan qu, becoming one of the main forms of Chinese poetry and also a type of regulated verse. It was not until the Southern Song Dynasty that ci gradually detached from music and ceased to be sung, evolving into an independent literary form with unique characteristics.
This book is an informative work. While the knowledge of writing and appreciating ci is beyond the scope of this book, it covers almost all the basic knowledge related to ci. It also dedicates considerable space to explaining the rules of ci. Since the rules of ci are closely related to those of poetry, a brief introduction to the rules of poetry is also included.