元曲 (yuánqǔ): Yuan-dynasty drama and verse (a…

Meanings

1 Yuan-dynasty drama and verse (a classical literary genre combining sung lyrics with spoken dialogue)

Characters

元

yuán

Yuan (dynasty); first

曲

qǔ

song, tune

Examples

唐诗、宋词、元曲并称中国古典文学三座高峰。

Tángshī, Sòngcí, Yuánqǔ bìngchēng Zhōngguó gǔdiǎn wénxué sān zuò gāofēng.

Tang poetry, Song ci, and Yuan drama are jointly called the three peaks of classical Chinese literature.

《窦娥冤》是元曲的代表作。

《Dòu É Yuān》 shì yuánqǔ de dàibiǎozuò.

The Injustice of Dou E is a representative work of Yuan drama.

Tips

history

Flourished in the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), when Han literati largely shut out of officialdom under Mongol rule turned to popular theater. Divides into 散曲 (standalone lyrics) and 杂剧 (zaju drama). Guan Hanqing (关汉卿) is the most famous playwright.