CI

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INTRODUCTION

There is nothing new under the Sun. Nothing is entirely new if we put it into a more modern concept. A lot of what is discovered has already been discovered before and is merely being reintroduced in a new way, as is the case with the Chinese poetic form Ci. Let us take a look at why I make such a claim. 

WHAT IS CI?

Ci is a type of lyrical poetry in the tradition of Classical Chinese poetry. It is also known as 

chángduǎnjù, song lyrics or shiyu (“the poetry beside Shi”), and draws upon folk traditions. (2)

It uses various poetic meters derived from a base set of fixed-pattern forms: fixed-rhythm, fixed-tone, and line lengths varying according to those of the model examples. (2)

The rhythmic and tonal pattern of the cí is based upon certain, definitive musical song tunes (cí pái). (2)

HISTORY OF CI

The oldest surviving textual examples of cí are from the 8th-century CE Dunhuang manuscripts, with its beginning in the poetry of the Liang dynasty. It followed the tradition of the Shi Jing and the yuefu and developed into a sophisticated literary genre from anonymous popular songs. It has been somewhat influenced by the music and poetry of Central Asia and elsewhere. (2)

It was developed during the late Tang dynasty from the music made in popular settings, such as houses of pleasure, and from the inclusion of romantic and erotic themes. The poets who had the greatest influence are  Wen Tingyun, Li Yu, and  Li Shangyin. In the process of development, it was heavily influenced by Serindian influences, the Kucha drum dance, especially. (2)

It was most popular in the Song dynasty, and had revivals in the Qing and Ming dynasties, characterized by an exploration of the emotions connected with romantic love, together with its secularization. (2)

CLASSIFICATION

During the Song dynasty, Ci was categorized into two main groups based on the length and tempo: 

1. Xiǎolìng: the original form since pre-Song

2. Màncí (2)

In the Ming and Qing dynasties the cí, or rather the cípái, became classified for the number of characters it dictates: 

1. xiǎolìng 小令: more than 58 characters

2. zhōngdiào 中調: 59–90 characters, and

3. chángdiào 長調: over 90 characters. (2)

It can further be divided into dāndiào if it contains only one stanza, shuāngdiào if it contains two. In the case of three stanzas, it is named sāndié, and sìdié if it contains four stanzas. According to the style, it can be considered graceful, wǎnyuē, or bold, háofàng. (2)

THE FORMATION OF CI

Ci is written in a strict musical framework. That strictness is secured through tones and cipai. 

TONES

Tones dictate the melodic rhythm, govern the length of lines, and create the natural rising-and-falling euphony of the lyrics. There are four main tones in Mandarin Chinese:

• "level" (平; píng),

• "rising" (上; shǎng)

• "departing" (去; qù)

• "entering" (入; rù) (2)

The ping tone is considered the level tone; the other three fall into the category of oblique tones. (2)

CIPAI

Cipai is the name of various formations of Ci. Most cípái consist of three characters. The formations of Ci are complicated. In different names of cípái, the number of characters, syntactical structure, tones, and rhyme are also different. Early ci were written as song lyrics to existing melodies, and the names of these melodies gradually became fixed as cipai. As the melodies themselves gradually disappeared from common use, the cipai remained as formal poetic patterns. (2)

CONCLUSION

Ci is lyrical poetry, also known as chángduǎnjù, song lyrics, or shiyu (“the poetry beside Shi”). It draws upon folk traditions and uses various poetic meters derived from a base set of fixed-pattern forms. The oldest surviving textual examples of cí are from the 8th-century CE Dunhuang manuscripts. It was developed during the late Tang dynasty from the music made in popular settings, such as houses of pleasure, and from the inclusion of romantic and erotic themes. Ci is written in a strict musical framework. That strictness is secured through tones and cipai. Tones dictate the melodic rhythm, govern the length of lines, and create the natural rising-and-falling euphony of the lyrics. Cipai is the name of various formations of Ci. Most cípái consist of three characters.

SOURCES

1. Image was created via canva.com.

2. Wikipedia. Ci (poetry). Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ci_(poetry)