Chinese Grammar Reference logo

    Chinese Grammar

    Using 言 (yán) to express "character" in poetry meter

    Numbers & Quantity

    Structure

    Number + 言

    Explanation

    The noun 言 (yán) literally means "word" or "speech," but in the context of classical Chinese poetry, it functions as a unit of meter referring to the number of characters per line. For example, 七言 means "seven-character verse," indicating each line has seven characters.

    Examples

    • 唐代最有名的诗歌形式是五言和七言。

      Táng dài zuì yǒumíng de shīgē xíngshì shì wǔyán hé qīyán.

      The most famous poetic forms of the Tang Dynasty were five-character and seven-character verse.

    • 这首五言诗读起来特别有节奏感。

      Zhè shǒu wǔyán shī dú qǐlái tèbié yǒu jiézòugǎn.

      This five-character poem has a particularly strong sense of rhythm when read aloud.

    • 老师让我们背一首七言律诗。

      Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen bèi yì shǒu qīyán lǜshī.

      The teacher asked us to memorize a seven-character regulated verse.

    Using 言 (yán) to express "character" in poetry meter | Chinese Grammar