Couplet knowledge

The upper part is the east and the lower part is the west; The first couplet is left for the top, and the second couplet is right for the bottom, which is equivalent to people writing letters vertically from right to left in the past, and so is sitting on the couplet facing south.

How to write couplets

Couplets should meet the following rules:

(1) The number of words in the upper and lower parts must be equal, and repeated words cannot be used.

(2) The last sentence of the first couplet must be written silently, and the last word of the next couplet must be flat.

(3) The sentence patterns of the upper and lower couplets must be consistent (equivalent parts of speech and corresponding structures).

(4) The horizontal lines of the upper and lower couplets should be relative. Where the word "Ping" is used in the upper part, the word "Ping" must be used in the lower part, and vice versa (Ping: Ping

Phonetic characters; Cue, Cue, including words with three tones of up, down and middle).

(5) The upper and lower couplets can have similar or opposite meanings, and they can only say one thing, or they can say two things separately.

The antithesis between couplets and regular poems is related to inheritance and evolution, and the flat and even meter of regular poems and the principle of "whether 135246 is clear" are also applicable to couplets. As for the number of words in each couplet, there is no limit, ranging from four words, five words, six words, seven words, eight words and nine words to tens or hundreds of words, as long as you have something to say.

? Tips for writing couplets

Syntax of sentences and duality

Syntax of couplets: As far as coping is concerned, it refers to the grammatical relationship between upper and lower couplets. The syntax of couplets is the key to ensure the reasonable cohesion of couplets, and it is also the key to clarify the relationship of couplets without confusing the logic of all couplets. Common couplets grammar can be roughly divided into the following categories:

1, coordinate relationship

The upper and lower couplets are parallel in form and consistent in tone. The upper and lower couplets explain the same thing from two different angles and express the same theme. This form of couplets often uses "Ye", "You" and "Du" in sentences, and it can be said that the meaning is legal and there are no related words.

Example: You Jun wrote about Chengdu Wuhou Temple Trade Union:

Two respects and three cares.

A pair of thousand-year-old feet

The author pays tribute to Zhuge Liang by grasping the two aspects that can best express Zhuge Liang's image, namely "two tables" (that is, "front and back teachers") and "one pair" ("Longzhong Dui"). Shows his superhuman wisdom and extraordinary achievements. The joint language is concise and surprising. This kind of couplets has strong strokes, heavy colors and vivid images, but it will appear monotonous and repetitive if it is not handled properly.

2. Consistency

The upper and lower couplets describe continuous events in chronological order, or are formed according to the sense of continuity, which is called coherence. Related words are often used as "already" and "just". Example:

Only drink Changsha water.

Eating Wuchang fish again

These are the first two sentences of a poem "Water Turning Around" published by Mao Zedong in 1956. The antithesis of parts of speech is neat, and "talent" and "you" indicate that the distance from Changsha to Wuchang is coherent. Another example is the Yuelu Mountain Association in Changsha:

Climb to 3,000 feet at the foot of the cloud,

Look at the millions of families in Changsha.

"Deng" is for "seeing" and "seeing" is the purpose of "Deng". This couplet is just a sentence divided into two halves, and the second couplet means the first couplet.

3. Progressive relationship

The relationship between duality and sentence output is from small to large, from shallow to deep, from outside to inside, which is called progressive relationship. Commonly used related words are "situation", "more" and "not only …… but also". Like a barber shop:

Don't teach white hair to make people old.

I prefer the spring breeze to blow my face.

On the narrative level, the second couplet is deeper than the first couplet. The second couplet uses the poem "Spring breeze is high" in Bai Ju's Grass, which has a particularly strong meaning. This is the beauty of couplets. Some conjunctions omit related words that express progressive relations without reducing their progressive meanings. Example:

The door is full of guests.

This is home.

Couplets do not use related words, but they still represent a progressive relationship.

4. Hypothetical relationship

This syntactic relationship is called hypothetical relationship, and the commonly used related words are "if", "such as", "convenient", "if … just" and "if … just". Example:

If a glass of water is as light as its name suggests.

Yingxin Village tea is more fragrant than wine.

If fame and fortune are as light as a glass of water, you will think that farmers' green tea is better than wine.

5. Conditional relationship

That is, the sentence puts forward the conditions and the sentence gets the result. This syntactic relationship is a conditional relationship. For example:

Be diligent and ask for less.

Promote longevity

"More diligence and less desire" is the condition, and "long life" is the result. Only when the conditions are met can the result be achieved.

6. Steering relationship

A condition is deduced in one sentence, but the sentence is stated in the opposite direction. This is called a turning point. This grammar is very common in couplets. The related words "Dan", "que" and "ran" are commonly used, but some are not. Example:

Although there are triple waves in the sea

Lost a bridge across the river.

7, choose the relationship

The upper and lower sentences say two things respectively, indicating a substitution relationship, which is called a choice relationship or a trade-off relationship. Commonly used are "instead of", "better than", "but" and "nothing". Example:

Desire for perfection: the story of Allen Hart Pena

It's not for Waquan.

This couplet is directly related to Ning ... not ... ",showing the heroic spirit of integrity. Example:

But for eternity.

Why wait and see each other?

It can be seen that this is a couplet written by a newly married couple who live in two places to express their sincerity in love.

8. Causality

Sentence and duality deduce causality respectively. Generally, one sentence is about the reason, reason, result or conclusion, but there are also inverted sentences. For example: Cotton Shop Association

Mu Xue, Qian Lai

Become wanjiachun

The former sentence is because, which means the scene of cotton harvest, and the latter sentence is fruit, which means that with cotton-padded clothes, everyone will no longer feel cold in winter. Example:

On the road ahead, there will be dear and sincere friends

There's an old friend in Xiguan Yangguan.

This is a causal inversion sentence, the sentence is the conclusion, the antithesis sentence is the reason, and the inversion sentence can add literary color to the couplet.

9. Purpose relationship

Sentences and antitheses express the relationship between purpose and action. Or a sentence is an end, a sentence is an action or measure, but there are also people who are upside down. Example:

Clever management of thousands of things.

Add tens of millions of hearts.

What the sentence says is action; The sentence says the purpose. Example:

Endure to make the national clothes fall to the emperor.

Return the heroes of the Central Plains to my country.

This couplet was written by Shi Dakai. That sentence means that we can't stand the oppression of the "righteous emperor" (the ruler of the Qing Dynasty) any longer, and we intend to take action; The next couplet is about the goal to be achieved. This couplet is upside down.

Requirements and suggestions for writing couplets

Writing a couplet can be roughly started from three aspects. The more rhyme, the more words, the more artistic conception.

First, rhyme.

There is no rhyme pressure on couplets, so the requirements for rhyme are at the same level.

1, flat collection. The last word in the upper part must be a hyphenated word; The last word of the next couplet must be Pingsheng.

This article must abide by couplets, that is, the foundation.

2. it's flat. In the corresponding position of the upper and lower links, it should be flat, the upper link is flat, the lower link is flat, and vice versa. Of course, this requirement is too strict and difficult to do. The alternative is that the key position can be flat. The so-called key position refers to the center of the word. Words and verbs at the end of phrases generally need duality. Such as the flower language of red flowers, the smile language of spring breeze and the wind language. This is what people often say, regardless of135,246.

To achieve these two points, rules will generally be passed. But there are some other requirements, which can be called progress articles. To write couplets well, these advanced requirements should be gradually adapted.

3. Don't even answer it. In a couplet, there can't be too many flat characters lined up together. Generally speaking, there can only be two flat characters at the end of a couplet, and more than three are not good. There can only be three lines of conjunctions in the middle of a couplet, and more than four lines is not good.

4. Don't be lonely. Even in a couplet, it's better not to have only one phonetic word or one phonetic word.

These two points require us to be impartial and cross-flowering, and not always flat or flat.

5. Save the May 7th Alliance. If it's a five-character couplet and a seven-character couplet, it's exactly the same as the number of words in modern poetry, so the law that modern poetry is difficult to survive is also applicable. The so-called hard-to-save means that the duality is not good in a certain place, and the duality will make some remedies in other parts of this joint to repair it. The rules that are difficult to save are complicated and I don't want to show them. But because five or seven words are the most common in couplets, it is of great benefit to know them. If you are interested, you can Baidu yourself.

The rules of phonology are roughly the same. The most troublesome problem comes: how to determine the level of a word.

There are two ways: A depends entirely on Putonghua, and the words in the tone (the first tone) and the tone (the second tone) are all flat and muddy, and the rest are awkward words. B it all depends on ancient times. There is rhyme handed down from ancient times. The level of words is prescribed. For example, Guang Yun Peace Cloud Water.

Of these two methods, A is simple, but because it is simple, the pattern is not high. B It's annoying, but it's interesting. I am in favor of following the standard of B, which is not complicated. The difficulty of leveling lies in entering tone characters. In ancient times, the words "one, six, seven, eight, ten, iron and wood" all belonged to Nuo sound. But in today's Mandarin, people can read these words in any tone. It is these words that disturb the horizontal distribution pattern. If we can distinguish these words, we can know which entering words are mixed with the flat voice of Putonghua. It is in line with the distribution pattern of ancient flat bricks to remove these words from flat bricks and return to flat bricks.

In modern dialects, Rusheng still exists in many places. For example, Jiangsu, central and southern Anhui, most of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi. There are also some places in the north (such as many places in Shanxi). If the pronunciation of those words in your dialect is short, or the tone is the same, but they are different from the tone of "clothes, roads, wives, parties, time and graves", then congratulations, your dialect has a tone. It is more difficult where there is no tone. But it is not helpless. For example, southwestern provinces. Using dialects instead of Mandarin to make a second sound (e.g. Mu, Ba, Liu, etc. ) are basically ancient tone words.

If it doesn't work, we will have to use reference books.

In a word, according to dialects, about 30% or 40% people can judge the entering tone characters by their own dialects. In areas without Rusheng, with a little effort, most Rusheng words can be inferred from their own dialects and Putonghua. Therefore, taking B as the standard is not out of reach.

For example:

The wild old man sinks in Leng Yue, and the hero is lonely in the desert.

Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping Pingping.

Fate, confluence and moon are more important. Month and straight are entering tone characters.

Before the lights were lit in winter night, Xiahou read the biography of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the west gate at the intersection of Dongcun greeted the merchants from north and south.

Flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat.

Night, front, family, reading, autumn, communication is more important. (unfortunately, I don't remember the match. But this connection is very difficult, and my talent is very shallow, so I have to take a step back on the rice. ) Reading and North are Rusheng words.

Sanqu has been silent for more than 1000 years since the Yuan Dynasty, and X became silent after entering the tomb in the middle of the week.

Flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat flat.

Part I Li Anping (It is said that the first part belongs to others, not to me. This pair of couplets is very interesting, but unfortunately there are too many first couplets. If only it were changed to "from Yuan Dynasty to Millennium", flexion, entry, white, time and not are all words of entering tone.

Second, say the words for the second time.

Basic requirements.

1, don't repeat words, that is, the upper and lower positions are the same, not the same words. Who am I? You are a pig. It's no use. In this respect, the content words are required to be higher, and the function words (even others) are required to be lower. If function words are emphasized, it is acceptable. In addition, the words used in the upper couplet should not appear in other positions of the lower couplet. For example, Guan Tao's brother is a gentleman, and Tao Ge regards me as a villain. Not so good.

2. Words are right, real words are right, function words are right, verbs are right, nouns are right. For example, Xifeng is very kind to Tao Ge. Xi An proposes marriage, Xi An goes to Tsinghua is not good. Monkeys are very kind to Zu Chongzhi. Monkeys are not good for pigs.

Advanced requirements are not only the expression of words, but also the semantic categories of words. For example, seasons, spring and summer versus autumn and winter. Quartet, east, west, north and south. Colors, red, yellow, blue to green, red and purple. On the first couplet, you can compose poems, and on the second couplet, you can listen to songs and dance swords. Not good for peeing and stealing people.

In short, this aspect needs refinement and polishing, and it also needs a certain vocabulary reserve, so I won't say much.

Third, finally, artistic conception.

Artistic conception is the hardest thing to say. Couplets are not just two sentences, so that all positions meet the requirements of phonology and writing. The greatest advantage of couplets is that they can arouse interest. There are many ways to generate interest. Here are some examples.

The most common is composition. That is, the two couplets have distinct meanings, forming two corresponding interesting pictures. Like a lonely boat far away from the green hills, the setting sun is long in the west. Both paintings depict moving scenes. Another example: I often sing new sentences to the moon and never miss my old man to my wife. Married men will probably laugh after reading the next sentence. If you come to the store, it will really be a makeover. Merchants will meet and stars will move. Tathagata can't grow hair, say impossible things and meet businessmen. The above is correct, that is, the two couplets have similar meanings. There are also opposites, such as: the willow warbler in Xitou has a soft voice, and the snow outside the Great Wall is cold and A?vagho?a is long. The upper and lower couplets are very different, forming a strong contrast.

Second, the system of Tibetan allusions and Tibetan names. It wasn't the wind that moved the flag. The first part tells the story of Tao Yuanming, and the second part tells the case of Huineng, the sixth ancestor. For example, till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon is drunk, and the lightsaber is hazy in drunkenness. The first couplet used Li Bai's poems, and the second couplet borrowed Xin Qiji's words. Another example is: Nanping night is drunk with frost and the sun is shining on the green lake. Nanping Night Bell, an ancient epigraph, is also the title of the song. Spring dawn in the green lake, an ancient song.

Third, homophonic pun. Such as: in front of a cluster of gardens, whose home is Zhuangzi; There are several lines of green hills in the painting. Where is Kong Qiu? Zhuangzi not only refers to the manor, but also refers to the figures in the pre-Qin period. Kong Qiu refers to the mountains and Confucius. Another example is: a hundred miles of smoke flows out of the hole, and the stone path is accompanied by others. The first part contains the ancient name "Hundred Li Xi", and the second part is opposite to Shi Jingtang.

Fourthly, many identical words are used in a couplet. If the sea goes/goes/goes, the clouds will grow/grow/grow and then disappear. In ancient times, tidal waves could use the same word.

Fifth, make use of the structural characteristics of Chinese characters. For example, the sea is deep and the waves are shallow. This wood belongs to Chaishan, because the fire turned into smoke at night. Wait a minute.

? How to write couplets

As a couplet, it should meet the following rules:

The number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal, and repeated words cannot be used.

(2) The last sentence of the first couplet must be written silently, and the last word of the next couplet must be flat.

③ The sentence patterns of the upper and lower couplets must be consistent (equivalent parts of speech, corresponding structures).

(4) The horizontal lines of the upper and lower couplets should be relative. Flat and turbid characters should be used in the upper part, flat and turbid characters should be used in the lower part, and vice versa (flat: flat and turbid characters; Xu: The word Xu Sheng includes three tones: up, down and middle.

The upper and lower couplets can have similar or opposite meanings, and can only say one thing or two things separately.

The antithesis between couplets and regular poems has a relationship of inheritance and evolution, and the rules of leveling and the principle of distinguishing one, three, five, two, four and six in regular poems are also applicable to couplets. As for the number of words in each couplet, there is no limit, ranging from four words, five words, six words, seven words, eight words and nine words to tens or hundreds of words, as long as you have something to say. Here are some examples to illustrate this point:

The motherland is strong; These people are new here.

(average, average. )

The mountains and rivers of the motherland in the upper part, people and years in the lower part are nouns, the last word in the upper part is strong, and the last word in the lower part is new. They are adjectives, relative and balanced, and the content and form are in line with the above five laws.

In short, writing couplets should rhyme harmoniously. The language is concise, consistent with the law and has certain content. Words are not relative, levels and levels are not harmonious, or slogan-style sentences are divided into two lines, which can't be regarded as couplets.

The content of the above introduction can be summarized as four lectures, namely, equal number of words, flat pronunciation, word opposition and syntactic symmetry. At the same time, the contents of the upper and lower couplets should be related, but they should not be identical or repetitive. Similar antitheses are commonly known as cross hands, such as picking up Five Blessingg in the New Year and picking up more than three in the Spring Festival, among which the Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival are all agreed. Traditionally, this kind of couplets is considered as a taboo in making couplets.

The principle of distinguishing one, three and five in literature, two, four and six also applies to couplets, which refers to the first, third and fifth words in each sentence of a five-character or seven-character poem, whether it is flat or even, and whether it is flat or even; The second, fourth and sixth words of each sentence must be plain and clear, and cannot be replaced. Because the first, third and fifth words are relatively flat and easy to move, the pronunciation has little influence. If the second, fourth and sixth words are flat and unbalanced, it will be difficult to read. This is a taboo for orthographic poetry, and it is also a taboo for traditional couplets when used in the creation of couplets.

What has been described above is the practice and procedure of traditional couplets. With the gradual maturity and development of couplet art, various novel practices and sentence patterns have emerged, and many unique couplets have appeared. The so-called authentic couplets refer to couplets that do not overemphasize hierarchy, fighting and rhyme. This kind of couplets has long been dismissed as non-authentic couplets. In fact, from the objective reality that dual rhetoric gave birth to couplets, the sentence pattern, syntax and structure of uneven couplets and even couplets are the same; As can be seen from the folk custom of pasting peach symbols and couplets, uneven and non-parallel couplets are also produced and developed at the same time. Informal and coupled writing is flexible and free, can be tailored to the actual content, fully adapt to the new situation of popularizing Putonghua, has a strong sense of the times, and shows its strong vitality more and more. It shines strangely in the sea with its straightforward, simple and steady artistic style.