Each ci tune has a fixed character count and tone pattern.
Tips
history
Ci poetry (词) originated in the Tang and flourished in the Song. The 词牌 dictates the meter and tones but not the content, so the same 词牌 (e.g. 满江红, 念奴娇) is reused by countless poets with entirely different themes.
mistakes
The 词牌 is NOT the title of the poem. 《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》 means 'to the tune of Niannujiao, reflecting on Red Cliff' — 念奴娇 is the tune, 赤壁怀古 is the actual title.
