What are the tonal patterns of qiijue (七絕), or seven-character truncated verse?

 

 

T following are the two basic tonal patterns of the five-character truncated verse:

 

 

A.  Starting with the deflected tone (level-tone rhyme)

 

                      ○△                          OR           ○○         

                      △○                                                △○                                                    

                      ○○                                                ○○    

                 ○○                                                ○○         

 

           

 

B.  Starting with the level tone (level-tone rhyme)

          

                      ○○                          OR                △○    

                 ○○                                                ○○                                             

                      ○△                                                ○△                            

                      △○                                                △○    

 

C.  Starting with the deflected tone (deflected-tone rhyme)

 

                  ○△    

                      ○○    

           

                      △○    

                      ○△    

 

D.  Starting with the level tone (deflected-tone rhyme)

 

                   ○○    

                      ○△    

           

                 ○○         

                      ○○    

 

 

            =  level tone

            = deflected tone

            = rhyme (level tone)

            = rhyme (deflected tone)

            = can be replaced by a deflected tone

            = can be replaced by a level tone

 

   

It should be pointed out that deflected tone is infrequently used as a rhyme in both wujue

(five-character truncated verse) and qijue (seven-character truncated verse).

 

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