Shih
/ʃiː/noun
A traditional form of Chinese poetry, especially the classical regulated verse associated with the Tang dynasty.
Did you know?The most famous collection of classical Chinese poetry, the *Shijing* or “Classic of Poetry,” preserves verses traditionally associated with ritual, courtship, ceremony, and religious practice.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, c. 1000 BCE
Old Chinese
詩 (*s.tə)
“Poem, verse, or composed song; the character originally referred to crafted verbal expression.”
Han Dynasty, 2nd century BCE–2nd century CE
Classical Chinese
詩 (shī)
“Poetry, particularly the canonical poetic tradition represented by the *Shijing*.”
Middle Chinese, c. 600 CE
Middle Chinese
詩 (śyɨ)
“Poem or regulated verse; the pronunciation developed within the literary language of medieval China.”
19th–20th Century
English/Wade–Giles
shih
“An English scholarly transliteration of Mandarin shī, used for classical Chinese poetry.”
Modern English
English
shih
“A term for classical Chinese verse, also commonly written *shi* or *shī*.”
Explore more surprising origins