宋词

宋詞

sòngcí

noun

Measure Word

一首宋词 shǒu

Meanings

1 Song dynasty ci poetry
2 lyric verse written to fixed tune patterns, flourishing in the Song dynasty (960-1279)

Characters

lyric verse, word

Examples

唐诗宋词是中国古典文学的两座高峰。

Tángshī sòngcí shì Zhōngguó gǔdiǎn wénxué de liǎng zuò gāofēng.

Tang poetry and Song ci are the twin peaks of classical Chinese literature.

苏轼和李清照都是著名的宋词作家。

Sū Shì hé Lǐ Qīngzhào dōu shì zhùmíng de sòngcí zuòjiā.

Su Shi and Li Qingzhao are both famous writers of Song ci.

他喜欢背宋词，尤其是辛弃疾的作品。

Tā xǐhuān bèi sòngcí, yóuqí shì Xīn Qìjí de zuòpǐn.

He likes reciting Song ci, especially the works of Xin Qiji.

Tips

history

Ci 词 began as song lyrics set to existing melodies (词牌), with each 词牌 (tune pattern) dictating the number of lines, characters per line, and tone sequence. The music was largely lost, but the verbal forms became a major literary genre alongside Tang shi.

culture

Often paired with 唐诗 as 唐诗宋词, the canonical shorthand for classical Chinese poetry that every schoolchild memorizes.

In Pop Culture

但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。 Dàn yuàn rén chángjiǔ, qiānlǐ gòng chánjuān.

May we live long and share the moon together, though a thousand miles apart.

The most quoted line in all of Song ci, from Su Shi's 水调歌头·明月几时有 (1076). Routinely shared on Mid-Autumn Festival.

Stroke Order

宋 Sòng

词 cí