Sanqu
/ˈsæn.tʃuː/noun
A genre of informal Chinese lyric poetry, especially associated with the Yuan dynasty.
Did you know?Sanqu became especially prominent during the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, when poets used vernacular language and musical forms instead of restricting themselves to classical literary conventions.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
曲
“A bend, tune, song, or musical piece; the character later became associated with lyric song forms.”
Pre-Yuan period
Chinese
散曲
““Scattered songs,” referring to independent lyric pieces not joined into dramatic suites.”
13th–14th Century
Middle Chinese
sǎn qǔ
“A flourishing form of vernacular lyric poetry, particularly under the Yuan dynasty.”
20th Century
Modern Mandarin
sǎnqǔ
“The modern Mandarin pronunciation and pinyin transcription of the poetic genre.”
Modern English
English
sanqu
“A scholarly English loanword for this Chinese lyric-poetry tradition.”