Duilian (poetry): Difference between revisions

[[Image:Chinese New Year's poetry.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Hand-written [[Chinese New Year]]'s duilian]]

In [[Chinese poetry]], a '''couplet''' ({{zh|s={{linktext|对|联}}|t={{linktext|對|聯}}|p={{Audio|Zh-duìlián.ogg|duìlián|help=no}}}}) is a pair of lines of poetry which adhere to certain rules (see below). Outside of poems, they are usually seen on the sides of doors leading to people's homes or as [[hanging scroll]]s in an interior. Although often called '''antithetical couplet''', they can better be described as a written form of [[counterpoint]]. The two lines have a one-to-one correspondence in their [[metre (poetry)|metrical length]], and each pair of [[Chinese character|characters]] must have certain corresponding properties. A couplet is ideally profound yet concise, using one character per word in the style of [[Classical Chinese]]. A special, widely seen type of couplet is the [[spring couplet]] ({{zh|t={{linktext|春|聯}}|s={{linktext|春|联}}|p=chūnlián}}), used as a [[Chinese New Year|New Year's]] decoration that expresses happiness and hopeful thoughts for the coming year.

Acouplet must adhere to the following rules:

#The [[tone pattern]] of one line must be the inverse of the other. This generally means if one character is of the level ({{linktext|平}}) tone, its corresponding character in the other line must be of an oblique ({{linktext|仄}}) tone.

Example of a couplet:

::[[Tone pattern]]: {{lang|zh|平平仄仄平平仄}}

::Tone pattern: {{lang|zh|仄仄平平仄仄平}}

|align="right"|makes||align="center"|{{lang|zh-Hant|作}}||align="center"|{{lang|zh-Hant|爲}}||becomes

好年好景好运气 good year good condition good fortune

多财多福多吉利 more wealth more happiness more lucky

心想事成百业兴 heart wish business success hundred industries flourishing

时来运到家昌盛 Chance come fortune arrive home prosperous

天增岁月人增寿 Heaven add years people gain ages

春满乾坤福满门 spring full universe happiness full house

宏图大展万事兴 grand prospect widely unfold millions things prosperous

富贵吉祥财源旺 rich honour lucky auspicious financial resource flourishing

人兴财旺平安宅 family growing finance flourishing peaceful house

福寿双全家常贵 happiness longivity both possessed house always honourable

旺犬旺财旺新年 vigorous dog florishing finance prosperous new year

好年好景好运气 good year good condition good fortune

开工大吉 commencing work prospitious

出入平安 travel safe and sound

Originating during the [[Five Dynasties]], and flourishing during the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasty|Qing dynasties]] in particular, couplets have a history of more than a thousand years and remain an enduring aspect of Chinese culture.

Often, couplets are written on red paper and stuck on walls. Sometimes, they are carved onto plaques of wood for a more permanent display.

Dueling couplets are a popular pastime with Chinese speakers,<ref>http://chinese.couplets.googlepages.com/</ref> a game of verbal and intellectual dexterity, wit and speed which shares some parallels with [[the dozens]]. A notable modern-day example occurs at the 7:24 point of the second segment of the satirical [[machinima]] [[War of Internet Addiction]]<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUm8Jv_nUzs</ref> (at 16:58 of the video's complete running time).

File:duilian.JPG

File:Xlhhduilian.jpg

File:Manuscripts in the Yunnan Nationalities Museum - DSC04013.JPG|Manuscripts in the Yunnan Nationalities Museum

File:Đối - Tết 2009.jpg|Vietnamese Couplet

* [http://www.afec-en-ligne.org/IMG/pdf/21-1.Delahaye.pdf Hubert Delahaye, "The ''duilian'', parallel and converging sentences. A few sociological aspects", ''Études chinoises'', vol. XXI, n° 1-2, Spring-Fall 2002 (in French with English abstract)]