Couplets, written in Chinese characters (later developed to be written in other minority languages), are two long strips hung or pasted on the wall posts; Pairs of opposites are needed. Its characteristics are roughly as follows:

First, the upper and lower long banners must have the same number of words and be combined into a couplet, which is called upper couplet and lower couplet. As for the number of words in each couplet, there is no certain rule, ranging from one Chinese character to hundreds of Chinese characters. In other words, the upper and lower couplets should have at least one Chinese character each. How many/much? There is no limit. Of course, the commonly used couplets, the upper and lower couplets are generally about four to twenty Chinese characters each. This is because there are too few words in the upper and lower couplets to express the complete meaning; How many/much? Can there be so many words? There is no limit to the number of words in the couplets, but I have never seen two or three thousand words in the upper and lower couplets. This comes from the requirement of the upper and lower couplets for the number of words-the number of words is not limited, but the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal.

Secondly, as can be seen from the above, a basic requirement of couplets is that the upper and lower couplets must express complete meanings. As long as you can do this, you can use as many words as you want. Comparing some poetic genres created by China Han culture, such as metrical poems and quatrains, with couplets, we can clearly reveal this point: metrical poems and quatrains each express a complete meaning in eight or four sentences; If the antithesis, especially the couplets and necklaces in the metrical poems, are taken out and written into couplets, sometimes they can barely make do, and sometimes they can't. Because it is not prepared for couplets, it may not be able to show a complete meaning that the author hopes to express. The original meaning of completeness is to express the whole performance by the whole poem! For example, comparing a poem with an elegiac couplet, the two antitheses in the poem may not be able to form an elegiac couplet alone-of course, it may work in some cases-which is the subtle difference between the two that needs careful observation. This is from the content to be expressed.

Reference materials. . . Very comprehensive. . . China couplets calligraphy and painting network. . .

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2. What is poetry?

The definition of poetry is too complicated. . . Simply put. . . Poetry is a literary genre, which expresses social life and people's spiritual world with concise language, rich emotions and rich phenomena according to the requirements of certain syllables, tones and rhythms. In ancient China, unhappy people were called poems, and happy people became songs.

Couplets are called "couplets", commonly known as pairs. Concise and profound, neat and balanced, with one word and one sound, is a unique art form of Chinese language. It can be said that couplet art is a cultural treasure of the Chinese nation. The types of couplets can be divided into Spring Festival couplets, wedding couplets, birthday couplets, elegiac couplets, decorative couplets, industry couplets, communication couplets and miscellaneous couplets (including humorous couplets ...). The length of couplets varies, only one or two words are short; It can be hundreds of words long. There are various forms of couplets, such as pairs, pairs, flowing pairs, couplets, set sentence pairs and so on. But no matter what kind of couplets are used, they must have the following characteristics: First, the number of words should be equal and the sentence breaks should be consistent. In addition to deliberately leaving a place for a word to achieve a certain effect, the number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be the same, neither more nor less. Second, we should be straightforward and harmonious. The traditional habit is to "pucker up and fall flat", that is, the end of the last sentence of the first couplet is puckered up and the end of the last sentence of the second couplet is flat. Third, the part of speech is relative and the position is the same. It is generally called "virtual to virtual, real to real", which means that nouns to nouns, verbs to verbs, adjectives to adjectives, quantifiers to quantifiers, adverbs to adverbs and related words must be in the same position. Fourth, the content should be related and run through from top to bottom. The meaning of up and down links must be interrelated, but they cannot be repeated. In addition, the traditional practice of hanging couplets must be written straight and pasted vertically, from right to left and from top to bottom, and cannot be reversed.

Horizontal criticism (or horizontal banners, rungs, banners, horizontal curtains, etc. ) is an important part of couplets. Horizontal comments, like the title of an article, can mark the theme of a couplet, which is the finishing touch and icing on the cake. Generally speaking, horizontal criticism plays a role in summarizing, revealing, supplementing and explaining couplets. From the scope of use, the most commonly used and original form of couplets is to stick them between couplets (so it is also commonly known as couplets). The upper and lower couplets, together with the horizontal comments on the lintel, are the "doors". Symmetry is the most obvious form of couplets, and the beauty of China's architecture lies in the traditional symmetrical form. Architecture and the structure of couplets set each other off, which is another reason why couplets are criticized. However, it does not mean that all couplets have horizontal comments. For example, some door plaques can be cross-commented, and cross-comments can be omitted for couplets and elegiac couplets (not suitable for hanging between couplets).