Ci
/tsɿː/noun
A Chinese lyric poem written to a pre-existing tune, especially one associated with the Song dynasty.
Did you know?Many ci poems were written to hundreds of named tunes, but the original melodies were eventually lost, leaving the poetic forms behind.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
詞
“Words, speech, or an utterance”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
詞 (cí)
“Words or literary composition”
Tang Dynasty
Chinese
詞
“Lyrics written to established musical patterns”
Song Dynasty
Chinese
詞
“A major poetic genre using regulated lines matched to tunes”
20th Century
English
ci
“A Chinese lyric poem or poetic form”
Modern English
English
ci
“A Chinese lyric poem composed to a tune”