# Jueju

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Form of Chinese poetry

Jueju Chinese name Traditional Chinese 絕句 Simplified Chinese 绝句 Literal meaning "cut-off lines" Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin juéjù Wade–Giles chüeh2-chü4 IPA [tɕɥětɕŷ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization jyuht-geui Jyutping zyut6-geoi3 Southern Min Tâi-lô tsua̍t-kù Japanese name Kanji 絶句 Hiragana ぜっく Transcriptions Romanization zekku

***Jueju*** ([traditional Chinese](/source/Traditional_Chinese_characters): 絕句; [simplified Chinese](/source/Simplified_Chinese_characters): 绝句; [pinyin](/source/Pinyin): *juéjù*), or **Chinese quatrain**, is a type of *[jintishi](/source/Regulated_verse)* ("modern form poetry") that grew popular among [Chinese poets](/source/Chinese_poet) in the [Tang dynasty](/source/Tang_dynasty) (618–907), although traceable to earlier origins. *Jueju* poems are always [quatrains](/source/Quatrain); or, more specifically, a matched pair of [couplets](/source/Couplet), with each line consisting of five or seven [syllables](/source/Syllable).[1]

The five-syllable form is called *wujue* ([Chinese](/source/Traditional_Chinese_characters): 五絕; [pinyin](/source/Pinyin): *Wǔjué*) and the seven-syllable form *[qijue](/source/Qijue)* (七絕; *Qījué*).[2]

## History

The origins of the *jueju* style are uncertain.[3] [Fränkel](/source/Hans_Fr%C3%A4nkel) states that it arose from the *[yuefu](/source/Yue_fu)* form in the fifth or sixth century.[4] This pentasyllabic song form, dominant in the [Six Dynasties](/source/Six_Dynasties) period, may have carried over into *shi* composition and thus created a hybrid of the *yuefu* quatrain and *shi* quatrain.[3] Indeed, many [Tang dynasty](/source/Tang_dynasty) *wujue* poems were inspired by these *yuefu* songs.[2]

In the seventh century the jueju developed into its modern form, as one of the three "modern" verse forms, or *jintishi*, the other two types of *jintishi* being the *[lüshi](/source/Lushi_(poetry))* and the *[pailu](/source/Pailu)*.[4]

The *jueju* style was very popular during the Tang dynasty. Many authors composing *jueju* poems at the time followed the concept of "seeing the big within the small" ([Chinese](/source/Traditional_Chinese_characters): 小中見大; [pinyin](/source/Pinyin): *Xiǎozhōng jiàndà*), and thus wrote on topics of a grand scale; philosophy, religion, emotions, history, vast landscapes and more.[2]

Authors known to have composed *jueju* poems include [Du Fu](/source/Du_Fu),[5] [Du Mu](/source/Du_Mu),[6] [Li Bai](/source/Li_Bai),[7] [Li Shangyin](/source/Li_Shangyin),[8] [Wang Changling](/source/Wang_Changling)[9] and [Wang Wei](/source/Wang_Wei_(Tang_dynasty)).[10]

## Form

Traditional [literary critics](/source/Literary_criticism) considered the *jueju* style to be the most difficult form of *jintishi*. Limited to exactly 20 or 28 [characters](/source/Chinese_character),[11] writing a *jueju* requires the author to make full use of each character to create a successful poem. This proved to encourage authors to use [symbolic](/source/Symbol) language to a high degree.[2]

Furthermore, [tonal](/source/Tone_(linguistics)) [meter](/source/Meter_(poetry)) in *jueju*, as with other forms of [Chinese poetry](/source/Chinese_poetry), is a complex process. It can be compared to the alternation of [stressed and unstressed syllables](/source/Stress_(linguistics)) in [sonnets](/source/Sonnet). A poet writing a *jueju* or similar *lüshi*-style poem needs to alternate level and oblique tones both between and within lines.[12]

Some of the formal rules of the [regulated verse](/source/Regulated_verse) forms were applied in the case of the *jueju* curtailed verse: these rules as applied to the *jueju* include regular line length, use of a single [rhyme](/source/Rhyme) in even-numbered verses, strict patterning of [tonal](/source/Tone_(linguistics)) alternations, use of a major [caesura](/source/Caesura) before the last three syllables, optional parallelism and grammaticality of each line as a sentence. Each couplet generally forms a distinct unit, and the third line generally introduces some turn of thought or direction within the poem.[13]

## Structure

*Jueju* follows one of the following tonal patterns:[12]

**Type I, Standard**

Additional in qijue wujue Rhyming ○○ ●●○○● ●● ○○●●○ ✓ ●● ○○○●● ○○ ●●●○○ ✓

**Type II, Standard**

Additional in qijue wujue Rhyming ●● ○○○●● ○○ ●●●○○ ✓ ○○ ●●○○● ●● ○○●●○ ✓

**Type I, Variant**

Additional in qijue wujue Rhyming ○○ ●●●○○ ✓ ●● ○○●●○ ✓ ●● ○○○●● ○○ ●●●○○ ✓

**Type II, Variant**

Additional in qijue wujue Rhyming ●● ○○●●○ ✓ ○○ ●●●○○ ✓ ○○ ●●○○● ●● ○○●●○ ✓

○ is a character with a [level tone](/source/Four_tones_(Middle_Chinese)), while ● is a character with an [oblique tone](/source/Four_tones_(Middle_Chinese)) (a rising, departing or entering tone).

## Example

This poem is called "[Spring Lament](/source/Spring_Lament)" ([Chinese](/source/Chinese_language): 春怨; [pinyin](/source/Pinyin): *Chūn yuàn*) and was written by [Jin Changxu](/source/Jin_Changxu).[14]

Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese English translation 春怨 打起黃鶯兒 莫教枝上啼 啼時驚妾夢 不得到遼西 春怨 打起黄莺儿 莫教枝上啼 啼时惊妾梦 不得到辽西 "Spring Lament" Hit the yellow oriole Don't let it sing on the branches When it sings, it breaks into my dreams And keeps me from Liaoxi!

This poem concerns a standard figure in this type of poetry, a lonely woman who is despondent over the absence of a husband or lover, probably a soldier who has gone to [Liaoxi](/source/Liaoxi_Commandery) in present-day [Mongolia](/source/Mongolia). She chases away the orioles to stop their singing in the first couplet. The second couplet gives the reason. The bird songs interrupted her sweet morning dream to see her husband in the far away land. The words and phrases tug at her heart.[14]

## See also

- [China portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:China)
- [History portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:History)
- [Poetry portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Poetry)

- [Classical Chinese poetry](/source/Classical_Chinese_poetry)

- [Shi (poetry)](/source/Shi_(poetry))

- [Ci (poetry)](/source/Ci_(poetry))

- [Fu (poetry)](/source/Fu_(poetry))

- [Lüshi (poetry)](/source/L%C3%BCshi_(poetry))

- [Qijue](/source/Qijue)

- "[Quiet Night Thought](/source/Quiet_Night_Thought)"

- [Qu (poetry)](/source/Qu_(poetry))

- [Regulated verse](/source/Regulated_verse)

- [Shichigon-zekku](/source/Shichigon-zekku)

- *[Three Hundred Tang Poems](/source/Three_Hundred_Tang_Poems)*

## References

### Citations

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTETian2007143_1-0)** [Tian 2007](#CITEREFTian2007), p. 143.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007199–201_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007199–201_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007199–201_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007199–201_2-3) [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), pp. 199–201.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan1993124_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan1993124_3-1) [Egan 1993](#CITEREFEgan1993), p. 124.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFränkel1978212_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEFränkel1978212_4-1) [Fränkel 1978](#CITEREFFränkel1978), p. 212.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007216–217_5-0)** [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), pp. 216–217.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007217–219_6-0)** [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), pp. 217–219.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007210–212,_216_7-0)** [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), pp. 210–212, 216.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007219_8-0)** [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), p. 219.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007213–215_9-0)** [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), pp. 213–215.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007205–209_10-0)** [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), pp. 205–209.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan199384_11-0)** [Egan 1993](#CITEREFEgan1993), p. 84.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECai2007169–172_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECai2007169–172_12-1) [Cai 2007](#CITEREFCai2007), pp. 169–172.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Fränkel, 212–214.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007204_14-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEEgan2007204_14-1) [Egan 2007](#CITEREFEgan2007), p. 204.

### Sources

- Cai, Zong-qi (December 2007). "Recent-Style *Shi* Poetry: Pentasyllabic Regulated-Verse". In Cai, Zong-qi (ed.). *How to Read Chinese Poetry*. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 161–180. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-231-13941-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-231-13941-0).

- Egan, Charles (1993). ["A Critical Study of the Origins of *Chüeh-chü* Poetry"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101204044017/http://www.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/%7Easiamajor//pdf/1993a/83.pdf) (PDF). *Asia Major*. 3rd ser. **6** (pt. 1): 83–125. Archived from [the original](http://www.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/~asiamajor/pdf/1993a/83.pdf) (PDF) on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2008-06-26.

- Egan, Charles (December 2007). "Recent-Style *Shi* Poetry". In Cai, Zong-qi (ed.). *How to Read Chinese Poetry*. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 199–225. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-231-13941-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-231-13941-0).

- Tian, Xiaofei (December 2007). "Pentasyllabic *Shi* Poetry: New Topics". In Cai, Zong-qi (ed.). *How to Read Chinese Poetry*. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 141–157. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-231-13941-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-231-13941-0).

- [Fränkel, Hans H.](/source/Hans_Fr%C3%A4nkel) (1978). *The Flowering Plum and the Palace Lady* (2nd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-300-02242-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-300-02242-5).

## External links

- ["The Whole Collection of Tang Poetry"](http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Poetry/tangshi.html)

v t e Chinese poetry Major eras Classical Chinese poetry Modern Chinese poetry Poetry by dynasty Han poetry Jian'an poetry Six Dynasties poetry Tang poetry Song poetry Yuan poetry Ming poetry Qing poetry Poetry works and collections Classic of Poetry Chu Ci New Songs from the Jade Terrace Nineteen Old Poems Zhuying ji Wangchuan ji Poems of a Thousand Masters Complete Tang Poems Three Hundred Tang Poems Tangshi baimingjia quanji Wen Xuan Fangweng ci biannian jianzhu Major forms Antithetical couplet ci fu shi qu yuefu Individual poems list Chinese poems (category list) List of poems (article) Modern English translated compilations Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature One Hundred Poems from the Chinese & One Hundred More Poems from the Chinese Regional styles Cantonese poetry

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jueju](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jueju) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jueju?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.