A seven-character regulated poem has fifty-six characters in total; the middle two couplets must be parallel.
Tips
culture
Eight lines × seven characters = 56 characters. Per CC-CEDICT: 'verse form consisting of 8 lines of 7 characters, with rhyme on alternate lines.' Du Fu's 《登高》 (风急天高猿啸哀...) is widely cited as the single greatest 七律 ever written.
grammar
Four couplets called 首联 (opening), 颔联 (chin), 颈联 (neck), 尾联 (tail). Strict rules: 颔联 and 颈联 must each be a perfectly parallel couplet — same parts of speech, contrasting meanings, opposing tones.
