骈文

駢文

piánwén

noun

Meanings

1 parallel prose
2 an ornate rhythmic prose style featuring paired four- and six-character phrases, flourishing in the Six Dynasties

Characters

paired, yoked side by side

Examples

骈文讲究对仗工整、声律和谐。

Piánwén jiǎngjiū duìzhàng gōngzhěng, shēnglǜ héxié.

Parallel prose emphasizes neat antithesis and harmonious tonal patterns.

王勃的《滕王阁序》是骈文的代表作。

Wáng Bó de «Téngwánggé Xù» shì piánwén de dàibiǎozuò.

Wang Bo's 'Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion' is a masterpiece of parallel prose.

唐代古文运动反对骈文的浮华文风。

Tángdài gǔwén yùndòng fǎnduì piánwén de fúhuá wénfēng.

The Tang-dynasty Classical Prose Movement opposed the ornate style of parallel prose.

Tips

culture

The character 骈 means 'two horses yoked side by side', a perfect image for a prose style built on relentless pairing of phrases. Also called 四六文 (four-six prose) after its typical line lengths.

history

Dominated court writing in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589) and early Tang. Han Yu and the 古文运动 later attacked it as empty ornamentation and revived plainer pre-Qin prose, though 骈文 never fully disappeared.

Stroke Order

骈 pián

文 wén