绝句

絕句

juéjù

noun

Measure Word

一首绝句 shǒu

Meanings

1 quatrain
2 four-line classical Chinese poem

Characters

cut off, absolute

Examples

李白写了很多脍炙人口的绝句。

Lǐ Bái xiě le hěn duō kuàizhìrénkǒu de juéjù.

Li Bai wrote many widely beloved quatrains.

五言绝句每句五个字,一共四句。

Wǔyán juéjù měi jù wǔ ge zì, yīgòng sì jù.

A five-character quatrain has five characters per line, four lines total.

Tips

history

绝句 matured in the Tang dynasty. The two main forms are 五绝 (5 characters × 4 lines) and 七绝 (7 characters × 4 lines). Strict tonal rules and rhyme apply.

usage

Contrast with 律诗 (regulated verse), which has eight lines and parallel couplets.

Stroke Order

绝 jué

句 jù