si1 jyu4詩餘诗余
Jyutpingsi1 jyu4
Yalesī yùh
Definition
Ci poetry; a genre of Classical Chinese poetry characterized by lyric verses with lines of irregular lengths.
writtenother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the literary genre of Ci poetry, which originated as lyrics set to existing musical tunes. It is a formal term used primarily in academic or literary contexts rather than in everyday casual conversation. When discussing the genre, people more commonly use the term 詞.
Measure word
sau2首sáuExamples
He really likes studying the prosody of Ci poetry.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general term for poetry, but it is strictly reserved for the specific song lyric form of the Song dynasty. Using it to describe modern poetry or general verses will sound unnatural and overly archaic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
