七律 (qīlǜ): seven-character regulated verse

Meanings

1 seven-character regulated verse
2 eight-line classical poem with seven characters per line (abbr. of 七言律诗)

Characters

七

Examples

毛泽东写过很多首七律。

Máo Zédōng xiě guò hěn duō shǒu qīlǜ.

Mao Zedong wrote many seven-character regulated poems.

这首七律对仗工整，意境深远。

Zhè shǒu qīlǜ duìzhàng gōngzhěng, yìjìng shēnyuǎn.

This seven-character regulated poem has neat parallelism and profound imagery.

Tips

history

Matured in the Tang dynasty as a strict form: 8 lines × 7 characters, rhyme on even lines (2,4,6,8), middle two couplets must be in 对仗, and tones must follow the 平仄 pattern. Du Fu is the acknowledged master — his 《登高》 is often called the greatest 七律 ever written.