When making couplets, the following rules must be followed:
①The number of words in the upper and lower couplets must be equal, and repeated words cannot be used.
②The last sentence of the first couplet must be in oblique tone, and the last character of the next couplet must be in flat tone.
③The sentence patterns of the upper and lower couplets must be consistent (similar parts of speech and corresponding structures).
④The flat and oblique characters in the upper and lower lines must be opposite to each other. Where the upper couplet uses flat-sound characters, the second line must use oblique-sound characters, and vice versa (ping: flat-sound characters; oblique: oblique-sound characters, including upper and lower lines. A word with three tones of "go" and "enter").
⑤The meanings of the upper and lower couplets can be similar or opposite. They can only say one thing, or they may also say two things separately.
The antithesis between couplets and rhythmic poetry has a relationship of inheritance and evolution. The flat rhythm of rhythmic poetry and the principle that one, three, and five are independent, and two, four, and six are distinct, also apply to couplets. As for the number of words in each couplet, there is no limit, ranging from four, five, six, seven, eight, nine to several or hundreds of words, as long as there is something to say and it can be paired. The following examples illustrate this:
The motherland’s mountains and rivers are strong; the people’s years are new.
(廄廄平平廄, 平平廄廄平.)
The motherland, mountains and rivers in the first line and the people and years in the second line are all nouns. The last word "zhuang" in the first line and the second word in the second line are all nouns. The last word of "xin" is an adjective, relative to the top and bottom, harmonious in level and oblique, and the content and form are consistent with the above five rules.
In short, the phonology and harmony of couplets should be harmonious. The language is concise, consistent with the rules, and has certain content. The words are not relative to each other, the flatness and obliqueness are inconsistent, or the slogan-like sentences are divided into two lines, they cannot be regarded as couplets.
We can summarize the content of the above introduction into four points, that is, the number of words is equal, the pronunciation of the characters is flat, the words are antithetical, and the syntax is symmetrical. At the same time, the content of the upper and lower couplets must have a certain connection, but they cannot be similar or repeated. Similar couplets are commonly known as gassho pairs, such as New Year to welcome the five blessings, and Spring Festival to welcome the three more. Among them, New Year and Spring Festival, greeting and receiving all agree. Traditionally I think such couplets violate the taboo of making couplets.
The principle that the first, third, and fifth words in the text are not concerned, and the second, fourth, and sixth words are clear, also applies to couplets, which refers to the first, third, and fifth words of each sentence of a five- or seven-character poem, regardless of the level, when Those who use flat-tone characters use oblique tones, or those who use oblique tones use flat-tone characters. It doesn't matter. The second, fourth, and sixth characters of each sentence must be clear and oblique and cannot be replaced. This is all because the first, third, and fifth characters are shifted from straight to oblique, and the pronunciation is not affected much. The second, fourth, and sixth characters are out of balance, making the reading difficult to read. This is a taboo in verse, and it is also a taboo in traditional couplet writing when used in couplet creation.
What is introduced above is the practice and formula of traditional couplets. With the gradual maturity and development of the art of couplets, various novel practices and sentence patterns are constantly emerging, and many unique couplets have also appeared. The so-called Non-authentic couplets refer to couplets that do not overemphasize flatness, obliqueness, workmanship, and rhyme. This kind of couplet work has long been criticized as unorthodox couplet work. In fact, from the objective reality that the rhetorical technique of antithesis gave birth to couplets, the sentence pattern, syntax, and structure of the couplets that are not restricted to oblique and oblique and the couplets that are coordinated between oblique and oblique are all available at the same time; from the perspective of the folk custom of pasting peach charms to pasting couplets, the informal couplets are not restricted to oblique and oblique. Couplets and couplets that harmonize levels and oblique angles also emerged and developed at the same time. The writing of couplets is flexible and free, and can be tailored according to the actual content. It is fully adapted to the new situation of promoting Mandarin. It has a strong sense of the times and is increasingly showing its strong vitality. With its straightforward, simple and steady artistic style , shining with strange light in Lianhai.