Classical poetry and modern poetry are two different forms of China's ancient poetry, which have certain differences in structure, language and style.
Structure: Classical poetry adopts the structure of ancient poetry, mainly in the form of five words, seven words and Yuefu. These forms have fixed rhythm and prosodic rules, such as five words in five-character poems and seven words in seven-character poems. Modern poetry is more free, there is no strict word limit, and you can choose the appropriate line length according to your needs.
Language: Classical poetry uses ancient classical Chinese, which contains a large number of ancient words, sayings and ancient sayings. This language style is solemn, quaint and formal. Modern poetry is written in vernacular or modern Chinese, which is closer to modern spoken language and the language is more popular and free.
Style: Classical poetry pays attention to form and meter, and pursues the harmony of phonology and the aesthetic feeling of rhythm. They often have obvious rhymes and even duality. Modern poetry, on the other hand, pays more attention to the expression of content and emotion, and the language is more free and fluent, which can express the poet's thoughts and feelings more flexibly.
Generally speaking, classical poetry emphasizes meter, rhyme and classical language style, while modern poetry pays more attention to the expression of content and emotion. Using modern Chinese makes the language more popular and free.
First, the number of sentences is different?
There is no limit to the number of ancient poems, and the length can be long or short; The number of sentences in modern poetry is limited, including four quatrains and eight rhymes (the arrangement can be increased in pairs).
Second, the number of words is different.
The number of words in each sentence of ancient poetry is flexible, especially in seven-character ancient poetry. For example, Li Bai's Shu Dao Nan, Meng Li Deng Tian Mu Shan and Du Fu's Che Dian are all based on seven words, but there are three, four, five, eight, nine and ten sentences, as well as Chu Ci and prose sentences. The number of words in each sentence of modern poetry is fixed, with five words in five sentences and five laws and seven words in seven sentences and seven laws, without any breakthrough.
Third, the rhyme is different?
Although the rhymes of classical poems are generally even sentences, they can rhyme with one sentence (such as Song of Snow in Farewell to Tian Shuji Wu's Home), and some sentences can also be allowed not to rhyme (such as Yuefu's Lotus Picking in Jiangnan). Modern poetry stipulates that even-numbered sentences (the second, fourth, sixth and eighth sentences) rhyme, and the first sentence may or may not rhyme.
Classical poetry can balance phonology and even rhyme; Modern poetry can only have a flat rhyme. Ancient poetry can rhyme to the end, or change rhyme in the middle, and can be even and staggered; Modern poetry must rhyme to the end, not change rhyme.
Classical poetry uses wide rhymes, and rhymes with similar pronunciations (adjacent rhymes) can communicate with each other; Modern poetry is strict in rhyme, and a poem can only use words with the same rhyme, not rhyme.
Fourth, duality is different.
Antique poetry is a double freedom, which can be used or not; In modern poetry, the two couplets in the middle of metrical poetry must use antithetical sentences.
Fifth, the levels are different.
Classical poetry does not emphasize plainness; Modern poetry needs harmony.