What is the meaning of antithesis in ancient poetry?

No, a confrontation requires two sentences to be called a confrontation. Antithesis is also called duality. Because ancient ceremonial guards, like the walk-ons on the modern stage, were facing each other on the left and right, so they were called duels. Antithesis is a rhetorical device that forms the neatness and beauty of words. It is also an important factor in forming the metrical form and presenting the metrical atmosphere. Paying attention to symmetry is a characteristic of ancient Chinese culture. From the palaces and mausoleums of emperors to the portals and furnishings of ordinary people and the attire of ladies, they all pay attention to symmetry. Literature is no exception. Because Chinese has many monosyllabic words, even polysyllabic words, the morphemes in them are quite independent and can easily create parallels. Therefore, antithetical sentences appeared in pre-Qin poetry. For example, "The Book of Songs" says: "In the past I left, and the willows clung to me; now I come to think about it, and the rain and snow are falling." ("Xiaoya. Caiwei") "Chu Ci" said: "Let the Yuanxiang River have no waves, so that the river water The flow is peaceful... Birds flow through the house, and water flows under the hall." ("Nine Songs. Xiangjun"). There are often parallels in prose, such as in the "Book of Changes": "The same voice corresponds to the same breath, and the same spirit seeks each other." ("Yi Qian Wenyan") After the Jin and Wei Dynasties, the influence of duality expanded, and the former parallel prose and interlaced articles developed into The whole text is in parallel prose with four and six parallel characters. From this period onwards, the parallelism in poetry changed from being untidy to gradually being neat, from being used casually to being gradually standardized. After the early Tang Dynasty, when the meter was finalized, antithesis became an important part of the meter poetry. Parallelism generally requires that the words in the same position of two sentences must be opposite, that is, noun to noun, verb to verb, adjective to adjective, adverb to adverb... The antithesis in metrical poetry is neater and stricter than that in ancient poetry and prose. It requires: First, the sentence and the couplet are opposite; second, the words in the same position of the sentence and the couplet have the same part of speech, but the characters cannot be the same. For example: "Fire tree" and "star bridge", "silver flowers" and "iron lock" are both Noun versus noun; "合" versus "开", verb versus verb. When the spring silkworms are dead, the silk will be exhausted, and the wax torches will turn into ashes and tears before they dry up. (Li Shangyin's "Untitled") "Spring silkworms" versus "wax torches", noun 仂 versus noun 仂; "to" "die" is opposite to "chenghui", the verb object is to the verb object; "Si" is to "tears", the noun is to the noun; "fang jin" is to "shigan", the verb 仂 language is to the verb verb language. Quatrains, rhymed verses, and rhymed verses have their own rules. Quatrains generally do not require antithesis. Whether to use antithesis or not is up to the author. Most of the quatrains of the ancients did not require antithesis, for example: We see each other off in the mountains, and the firewood is covered by the sunset. The spring grass is green every year, will the king and grandson return? (Wang Wei's "Farewell") Lanling's fine wine is filled with tulips, and the jade bowl contains amber light. But it makes the host drunk and the guests don't know where they are. (Li Bai's "A Visit") The first couplet of some quatrains is antithetical, but the last couplet is not. For example: The merits cover three parts of the country and are called the Eight Formations. The stone in the river will not turn, and the regret will be swallowed up by Wu. (Du Fu's "Eight Formations") (Note: The antithetical sentences are shown in italics, the same below) There is no rain cover after all the loads, and there are still proud frost branches among the chrysanthemums. You must remember that the best times of the year are orange and orange. (Su Shi's "Winter Scene") Most of the antithetical sentences are in oblique tones. The first sentence of Wujue is more unrhymed than that of Qijue, so the first couplet of Wujue is more antithetical than that of Qijue. There are also quatrains in which the first sentence enters rhyme and the first couplet is antithetical. For example: a flower branch produces a founding chapter, a phoenix tube produces a shining sun. I would like to ask the benefactor, how long are the eyebrows? (Huangfu Ran's "Jie Yu's Resentment") There are wild grass and flowers beside the Suzaku Bridge, and the setting sun is setting at the entrance of Wuyi Lane. In the old days, king Xietang’s swallows flew into the homes of ordinary people. (Liu Yuxi's "Woyi Lane") The first sentence of Qijue is more rhymed than Wujue. This form of antithesis in the first couplet has more Qijue than Wujue. There are also quatrains in which the first couplet is not in conflict and the last couplet is in conflict. For example: Moving the boat to Yanzhu, the guests are worried about the new arrival at dusk. The trees are low in the open sky, and the clear moon on the river is close to the people. (Meng Haoran's "Su Jiande River") The heart-broken Spring River is about to end, and the staff and quinoa slowly stand on Fangzhou. The wild catkins dance with the wind, and the light peach blossoms float with the water. (Du Fu's "Manxing") There are also two quatrains in which the first and last couplets are in full opposition. For example: The sun sets over the mountains and the Yellow River flows into the sea. If you want to see a thousand miles away, go to the next level. (Wang Zhihuan's "Climbing the Stork Tower") Every year, the golden river returns to the Jade Pass, and the horses and swords are ringed. In the third spring, the white snow returns to the green tombs, and the thousands of miles of Yellow River circles the Black Mountains. (Liu Zhongyong's "Zheng Ren Yu") In most of the ancient quatrains, the first and last couplets are not in opposition. The first couplet is occasionally in opposition, the last couplet is in opposition less frequently, and the two couplets are in complete opposition even less.

However, the two middle couplets (jaw couplet and neck couplet) of the verse must be in opposition, otherwise it will not be called a verse. Its first and last couplets can be in conflict or not. In ancient rhyme poems, there are also antithesis in the first couplet, antithesis in the last couplet, and antithesis in all four couplets. This is all up to the author's discretion and there is no set rule. However, the confrontation between the chin couplet and the neck couplet is a convention of rhythmic poetry, also called a regular example. For example: The first sentence of the five rhymes does not fit into the rhyme. After the new rain in the empty mountains, the weather comes late in autumn. The bright moon shines among the pines, and the clear spring flows upstream from the rocks. The bamboo noise returns to Huan Nu, and the lotus moves off the fishing boat. Let the spring fragrance rest at will, and the kings and grandsons can stay. (Wang Wei's "Dwelling in the Mountains in the Dark Autumn") The first sentence hits the rhyme. Amidst the barking of dogs and the sound of water, peach blossoms are thick with dew. Deer can be seen when the trees are deep, and no bells can be heard by the stream at noon. The wild bamboos are divided into green mist, and the flying springs are hung with green peaks. No one knows where to go, and I lean on two or three pine trees in sorrow. (Li Bai's "Unexpected Visits to Taoist Priests in Dai Tianshan") The first sentence of the seven rhymes does not fit into the rhyme. The desolate land of Bashan and Chushui has been abandoned for twenty-three years. Nostalgic, I sing and listen to the flute poems in the air, and when I go to the countryside to read them, I feel like a dead person. Thousands of sails are passing by the side of the sunken boat, and thousands of spring trees are in front of the diseased trees. Today I listen to a song of Junge, and for the time being I can keep my spirits up with a glass of wine. (Liu Yuxi's "Rewarding Lotte and Seeing Gifts at the First Banquet in Yangzhou") The first sentence is in rhyme. A letter is sent to the Nine Heavens in the morning, and is demoted to Chaoyang Road eight thousand in the evening. If you want to eliminate evil things for the saint, are you willing to cherish your remaining years? Where is my home in the Qinling Mountains where the clouds are flying? The snow is holding the blue gate and the horse can't move forward. I know you came from afar with some intention, so that you could come back to me by the Shimias River. (Han Yu's "Moving to the Left to Languan to Show His Nephew Xiang") Rhymed poetry has three antithetical couplets: the first couplet, the chin couplet, and the neck couplet. The first sentence of the five rhymes does not fit into the rhyme. When travelers arrive in the third autumn, they look around the city. The Chu Mountains rise across the earth, and the Han River flows back to the sky. The crown and cover are not new, the Zhanghua is the old platform. The scenery in Xichi is strange, and the way back is full of dust. (Du Shenyan's "Deng Xiangyang City") The first sentence is in rhyme. Bei Que Xiu wrote a letter, and Nanshan returned to my hut. If you are not talented enough, you will be abandoned by your master, and if you are often ill, your friends will be sparse. White hair makes you grow old, and green hair makes you grow old. I will never sleep with sorrow, and the window will be empty at night under the pine moon. (Meng Haoran's "Returning to Nanshan at the Dusk of the Year") If the first sentence of the seven rhymes does not fit into the rhyme, the path of the world is uncertain, and the net of dust is still entangled. Good fortune and misfortune return to the wheel, and prosperity and failure come back again and again. A tortoise will suffer from intestinal irritation, but a horse that cannot respond will not have to worry about it. For those who don’t believe me, if you look at Yiqi, winning or losing must wait until the end of the game. (Bai Juyi's "Five Poems" No. 2) The first sentence that strikes the rhyme is "Yongxiang has been resentful of Qiluo for many years, and he thinks about the troubles all day long when he is separated." There are endless marks on the bamboo in Xiangjiang River. How much should it be sprinkled in front of the Xianshou Monument? People go to Zitai and enter the fortress in autumn. The soldiers are still in the Chu tent and listen to the songs at night. When I came to the Bashui Bridge, I asked, "I haven't arrived yet to give you jade in my green robe!" (Li Shangyin's "Tears") In the first three couplets, if the first sentence does not fall into rhyme, there are more five rhymes than seven rhymes; if the first sentence falls into rhyme, there are more seven rhymes than five rhymes. There is no need for antithesis in the first couplet of rhythmic poetry, but antithesis is used in the chin couplet, neck couplet and last couplet. This form of rhymed poetry is rare, because the last couplet is generally the conclusion of the whole poem. It is easier to use loose lines to add the finishing touch, but it is more constrained to use antitheses, so poets do not like to use the end couplets. This form often appears in Du Fu's poems, and there are few imitators by later generations. Here is a poem from each of the five and seven rhymes: The cool breeze moves thousands of miles, and the bandits are still everywhere. The book is written from far away from home, and the autumn comes as a guest. Worried about watching a tall bird pass by, I always follow the crowd. I first wanted to go to the Three Gorges, but why did I see the two capitals? (Du Fu's "Sorrowful Autumn") Outside the sword, it was suddenly announced that Jibei was being collected, and at first I heard that the clothes were covered with tears. But what is the worry about my wife? The books and poems are full of joy. To sing during the day, you need to indulge in alcohol. Youth is a companion for returning home. That is to say, it passes through Wu Gorge from Ba Gorge and then goes down to Xiangyang towards Luoyang. (Du Fu's "Wen Guanjun Takes Henan and Hebei") There are also four couplets in rhymed poetry that all use antithesis. This form appeared earlier, such as Su Weiwei's "Night of the Fifteenth Day of the First Month" in the early Tang Dynasty: The fire trees and silver flowers are closing, and the iron locks of the star bridge are opening. The dark dust follows the horse, and the bright moon follows the person. All the wandering prostitutes are wearing plums, and all the plum blossoms are falling when they sing. Jinwu can't help but stay at night, don't rush him when the jade leaks. During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Wang Wei and Du Fu included many regular verses in four couplets in their works, and later poets also imitated them. Therefore, although this form is relatively rare, it is slightly more common than the triple couplets in the later period. Here is a poem from each of the five and seven rhymes: Go to the sky to march to the west, and protect Beiping in the clouds. Capture the white horse general alive and defeat the Black Eagle City. Suddenly I saw that the cud soul was suffering, and I only heard that the bamboo made it prosperous. If Zuo's biography is left empty, who will inherit the business name? (One of Wang Wei's "Three Elegies of the Former Governor Du of Xihe County") The jade tower and silver banner pillow the city, and the green cover and red flag line the purple camp. The sun reflects the color of the rock paintings, and the wind shakes the trees and the sound of orchestral music. The heavy pavilions by the water are full of flying objects, and the solitary peaks in the clouds are carved like this. Fortunately, I saw the Eight Dragons visiting Langyuan, and I visited Pengying without having to work thousands of miles. (Zong Chuke's "Fenghe Xing'anle Princess Villa Yingzhi") The antithesis of rhythm arrangement is the same as that of rhymed poetry. The first and last couplets can be used or not, but no matter how many couplets there are in the middle, they must all be antithetical.

For example: "Jiang Cheng contains perversions, every time there is a new one." The sky wants to rain now, and the mountains return to eternal spring. A hero's career will fade away for a long time. Get intoxicated with foreigners and meet people from your homeland. The war still supported Shu, and the thieves gathered force and defeated Qin. It's not that the appearance is too annoying, it's that I'm deeply ashamed and afraid of damaging the spirit. (One of the Two Poems on "Shangbaidi City" by Du Fu) You know the appearance of the mountains and the state of the water, and everything moves calmly upstairs. The sun shines brightly, and the wind drives the scales and waves unevenly. The drums are played in the early morning to encourage the tide, and the flutes are played all night long. When calling customers, they wave their far red sleeves, and when selling stoves, they hang a small green flag. The bed and mats are left in the spring sleeping place, and the curtains are rolled up and the moon comes up. The situation will go away without any reason, so I copy Zaihe Lang's poems for him. (Yuan Zhen's "Farewell to the East Building" by He Letian) Rhymed poetry takes the antithesis of the chin couplet and the neck couplet as a regular example. The three antithesis of the first couplet, chin couplet, and neck couplet introduced above, the three antithesis of the chin couplet, the neck couplet, and the tail couplet, as well as the first couplet, chin couplet, and The neck couplets and tail couplets are all in opposition, which are called variations. There are also books called special patterns and variations. These changes were imitated by people writing old-style poems after the Tang and Song Dynasties, and even by modern people. There are two other variations, which few people followed after the Middle Tang Dynasty. These two variations appeared in the formation process of modern poetry before it was completely finalized. They started in Qi and Liang Dynasties and extended to the mid-Tang Dynasty. One is a form in which the first couplet is in opposition but the chin couplet is incorrect and the neck couplet is correct. For example, Emperor Wen of Liang Dynasty wrote "Listening to Prostitutes at Night": Albizia julibrissin leaves and day lilies forget worries. How the moonlight night flows and dances around the waist. The red lips move with the wind, and the jade bracelet shakes with the strings. It is a pity to stay as a guest but not to do anything. If you are negative, you will be charming. The first couplet and neck couplet of this poem are very neat, but the chin couplet is wrong. There are also the so-called "loss of rightness" and "loss of cohesiveness" in the flat and oblique formats, which bear many traces of ancient poetry. Another example is Wang Bo, one of the "Four Heroes of the Early Tang Dynasty", in his famous work "Sending Du Shaofu to Shuchuan": The city gate assists the Three Qin Dynasties, and the wind and smoke look out to the Wujin. I want to say goodbye to you, we are both eunuchs. There are close friends in the sea, and there are neighbors in the world. Inaction is on the wrong road, and children are stained with towels. The rhythm of this poem is completely consistent, but the antithesis still retains the ancient method. After modern poetry was finalized, some poets occasionally imitated ancient poetry. For example, Li Bai's "Hang a mat on the riverside and wait for the moon in my arms": Wait until the moon has not come out, and watch the river flow by itself. Suddenly, in the west corner of the city, a jade hook hung in the blue sky. Although Suhua can be embraced, Qingjing is different from visiting. Geng Geng Jinbo, looking at the Magpie Tower from the sky. Later generations of this variation gave it a nice name, "stealing the spring style", which means: the rhyme poem should be opposed in the first couplet, but it is opposed in the first couplet first, "it is like plum blossoms stealing the beauty of spring and blooming first." "(Volume 2 of "Poet's Jade Chip") There is another variation of the ancient style, that is, the first couplet and the chin couplet are not antithetical, and there is only one antithetical couplet in the whole poem. For example, Wang Wei in the prosperous Tang Dynasty wrote "Send Off Qizhou Yuan Chang Shi Returns": When we shake hands and send each other off, can we say that we are sad and at ease? The autumn wind is blowing, and the guests are leaving Mengchangmen. The old post is connected to Huaili, and the long pavilion is under Jinyuan. Expedition to the west Jiujing Festival, from then on to the source of the river. Another example is Yuan Zhen's "Return to the Fields" in the mid-Tang Dynasty: Tao Jun was thirty-seven and left the capital with a ribbon. I will also go to Xi’an Village in Shangshan this year. The abbot's room is repaired in winter and the tangerine garden is planted in spring. Thousands of human affairs will never be discussed again. These two kinds of antique antithesis are mostly seen in the Five Rhythms and rarely in the Seven Rhymes, but they are also occasionally seen in famous works. For example, Cui Hao's "Yellow Crane Tower": In the past, people had taken the Yellow Crane to go there, and the Yellow Crane Tower was vacant here. The yellow crane is gone and never returns, and the white clouds remain empty for thousands of years. Qinchuan is full of Hanyang trees and luxuriant grass. Parrot Island. Where is Rimuxiangguan? The smoke on the Yanbo River makes people sad. Another example is the second part of Du Fu's "Ode to Ancient Relics": Shake off and know Song Yu's sadness well, and he is also my teacher when it comes to elegance and elegance. Looking forward to the eternity, I shed tears, depression is different from generation to generation. The old house in Jiangshan is empty and empty, and the clouds and rain are desolate. How can I dream of it? In the end, all the Chu palaces were destroyed, and the boatman’s advice is still doubtful. The chin couplets of these two seven-rhythms seem to be right but not right. Compared with the neck couplets, their neatness is much worse. The first chin couplet is uneven and out of alignment, and the second chin couplet and chin couplet are uneven and out of alignment. There are also legacy of ancient poetry in the rhythm. The two kinds of rhythmic poems introduced above that have ancient styles are rarely seen after the mid-Tang Dynasty. After the late Tang Dynasty, the antithesis of chin couplets and neck couplets in rhythmic poetry became the golden rule of rhythmic poetry, just like the antithetical couplets and sticks in rhythmic poetry. Therefore, quatrains were later also called jieju, which means: quatrains were cut from regular verses. If what is cut out is the first couplet and the last couplet of the verse, then the two couplets of this quatrain are not in conflict; if what is cut out is the first couplet and jaw couplet of the verse, then the first couplet of this quatrain is not in conflict and the last couplet is in conflict; if it is cut out If it is the neck couplet and the tail couplet of the rhythmic poem, then the first couplet of this quatrain is in opposition, but the last couplet is not; if the cut is the jaw couplet and the neck couplet of the rhythmic poem, then the two couplets of this quatrain are in opposition.