Shichigon-zekku
Encyclopedia
Qiyan jueju known in Japan as isa type of jueju
poetry form consisting of four phrases each seven Chinese character
s ( or kanji
) in length.
Shichigon-zekku are the most common form of classical Chinese poems
(kanshi
), and the standard form of shigin
(Japanese chant
ed poetry).
Jueju
Jueju is a style of jintishi, or "Modern form poetry", that grew popular among Chinese poets in the Tang Dynasty , although traceable to earlier origins...
poetry form consisting of four phrases each seven Chinese character
Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
s ( or kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
) in length.
Shichigon-zekku are the most common form of classical Chinese poems
Chinese poetry
Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language, which includes various versions of Chinese language, including Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Yue Chinese, as well as many other historical and vernacular varieties of the Chinese language...
(kanshi
Kanshi (poetry)
is a Japanese term for Chinese poetry in general as well as the poetry written in Chinese by Japanese poets. It literally means "Han poetry". Kanshi was the most popular form of poetry during the early Heian period in Japan among Japanese aristocrats and proliferated until the modern period.The...
), and the standard form of shigin
Shigin
Shigin is a form of Japanese poetry, which is usually chanted, either individually or within a group.Individual poems are termed gin , and are usually composed of four or more lines of Chinese characters, or kanji , each line having the same number of characters...
(Japanese chant
Chant
Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes to highly complex musical structures Chant (from French chanter) is the rhythmic speaking or singing...
ed poetry).
Composition
In composing Shichigon-zekku, the character of the phrases (zekku) is important. The rules are as follows:- First phrase : Depiction of the scene
- Second phrase : Add further illustration and detail to the kiku
- Third phrase : By changing the scene of action, reveal the true essenceEssenceIn philosophy, essence is the attribute or set of attributes that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the object or substance has contingently, without...
of the poem - Fourth phrase : In assimilating the tenku draw together and complete the poem
Examples
- Example of qiyan jueju:
江南春绝句
千里莺啼绿映江，
水村山郭酒旗风。
南朝四百八十寺，
多少楼台烟雨中。
Spring of the South
Thousands miles of birds' singing, light green along the Yangtze river;
Ponds and hills circling the village with flags in the soothing wind;
Amid the four hundred and eighty temples of the South dynasty;
How many terraces are in the misty cold rains?
Author: Du MuDu MuDu Mu was a leading Chinese poet of the late Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Muzhi , and sobriquet Fanchuan .He was born in Chang'an into an elite family whose fortunes were declining...
(杜牧), (803～852).
- Example of shichigon-zekku:
富士山
仙客来遊雲外巓
神龍棲老洞中渕
雪如丸素煙如柄
白扇倒懸東海天
Mount Fuji
This great peak above the clouds, where hermit-wizards came for sport
The deep pools of whose caverns holy dragons have inhabited from old
The snow is like white silk, the rising smoke like a handle
A great white fan inverted, in the heavens above the eastern sea
Author: Ishikawa Jozan (石川丈山), (1583～1672).
External links
- Background to Mount Fuji poem (Japanese)
- Explanation of Shichigon-zekku form and history (Japanese)
- Example of shichigon-zekku: