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ABC of Sound Meters in Chinese Poetry
声(shēng)律(lǜ)启(qǐ)蒙(mēng)
Section Five of Part I

The Fifth, the character at the end of a line that pronounces with the sound of “weī” and its groups五微: 微(weī)薇(weī)晖(huī)辉(huī)徽(huī)挥(huī)韦(wéi)围(wéi)帏(wéi)违(wéi)闱(wéi)霏(fēi)菲(fēi)妃(fēi)飞(fēi)非(fēi)扉(fēi)肥(féi)威(wēi)祈(qí)畿(jī)机(jī)几(jī)讥(jī)玑(jī)稀(xī)希(xī)衣(yī)依(yī)归(guī)饥(jī)[same as in the “zhī” section]矶(jī)欷(xī)诽(fěi)绯(fēi)晞(xī)葳(wēi)巍(wēi)沂(yí)圻(qí)颀(qí)

来对往，密对稀，燕舞对莺飞。
Lái duì wǎng ，mì duì xī ，yàn wǔ duì yīng fēi 。
(Literal translation of the line: Coming vs. going, thickness vs. thinness; dancing swallow vs. flying lark.) The sixth character pronounces as “xī” and the last character pronounces as “fēi”. There are apparently four pairs in the line.

Coming vs. going, thickness vs. thinness; dancing swallow vs. flying lark.

风清对月朗，露重对烟微。
Fēng qīng duì yuè lǎng ，lù zhòng duì yān wēi 。
(Literal translation of the line: Clear wind vs. bright moon; heavy frost vs. light fog.) The last character pronounces as “weī”. There are four pairs in the line: wind vs. moon; clear vs. bright; frost vs. fog; heavy vs. light.

霜菊瘦，雨梅肥，客路对渔矶。
Shuāng jú shòu ，yǔ méi féi ，kè lù duì yú jī 。
(Literal translation of the line: The chrysanthemums in frost look thin; the plums in the rain look stout; a stranger’s road vs. a big piece of rock by which a fisherman is sitting.) The sixth character pronounces as “féi” and the last character pronounces as “jī”. There are five pairs in the line: frost vs. rain; chrysanthemum vs. plum; thin vs. stout; stranger vs. fisherman; road vs. rock.

The chrysanthemums in frost look thin; the plums in the rain look stout; a stranger’s road vs. a big piece of rock by which a fisherman is sitting.

晚霞舒锦绣，朝露缀珠玑。
Wǎn xiá shū jǐn xiù ，cháo lù zhuì zhū jī 。
(Literal translation of the line: The sunset glow unfolds like embroidered brocade; the morning dew is drooping like a piece of pearl.) The last character pronounces like “jī”. There are three pairs in the line: sunset vs. morning dew; to unfold vs. to droop; embroidered brocade vs. a piece of pearl.

夏暑客思欹石枕，秋寒妇念寄边衣。
Xià shǔ kè sī qī shí zhěn ，qiū hán fù niàn jì biān yī 。
(Literal translation of the line: In the hot summer visitors wish to lie on a stone pillow; in the cold autumn the wife is thinking of sending coats to the frontier.) The last character pronounces as “yī”. There are seven pairs in the line: summer vs. autumn; hot vs. cold; visitor vs. wife; to wish vs. to think; to lie vs. to send; stone vs. frontier; pillow vs. coats. The husband must be a soldier at the frontier, so the wife is thinking to send warm to him.

In the hot summer visitors wish to lie on a stone pillow; in the cold autumn the wife is thinking of sending coats to the frontier.

春水才深，青草岸边渔父去；
夕阳半落，绿莎原上牧童归。
Chūn shuǐ cái shēn ，qīng cǎo àn biān yú fù qù ；
Xī yáng bàn luò ，lǜ shā yuán shàng mù tóng guī 。
(Literal translation of the line: The water in the river has just become deep in the spring, even though the bank is covered with cyan grass, the fisherman has left; the sun is setting, the cowboy is returning home from the plain of green grass.) The last character pronounces as “guī”. This is a couplet with 11 characters. There are eight pairs in the lines: spring water vs. setting sun; just vs. half; deep vs. falling; cyan grass vs. green grass; by vs. on; the bank vs. the plain; fisherman vs. cowboy; leaving vs. returning.

The water in the river has just become deep in the spring, even though the bank is covered with cyan grass, the fisherman has left;

宽对猛，是对非，服美对乘肥。
Kuān duì měng ，shì duì fēi ，fú měi duì chéng féi 。
(Literal translation of the line: To be lenient vs. to be severe; to be right vs. to be wrong; putting on beautiful attire vs. on the horseback.) The last character pronounces as “féi”. There are four pairs in the line: to be lenient vs. to be severe; right vs. wrong; beautiful vs. to ride; clothing vs. fat horse.

To be lenient vs. to be severe; to be right vs. to be wrong; putting on beautiful attire vs. on the horseback.

珊瑚对玳瑁，锦绣对珠玑。
Shān hú duì dài mào ，jǐn xiù duì zhū jī 。
(Literal translation of the line: Coral vs. tortoise shell; embroidered brocade vs. pearl.) The last character pronounces as “jī”. There are apparently two pairs.

桃灼灼，柳依依，绿暗对红稀。
Táo zhuó zhuó ，liǔ yī yī ，lǜ àn duì hóng xī 。
(Literal translation of the line: The bright colored peach vs. tender willow leaves; dark green vs. sparse red.) The fifth and sixth characters pronounce as “yī” and the last character pronounces as “xī”. There are four pairs in the line: peach vs. willow; bright color vs. tender leaves; dark vs. sparse; green vs. red. The repetitive words are quoted from the “Book of Songs”.

The bright colored peach vs. tender willow leaves; dark green vs. sparse red.

窗前莺并语，帘外燕双飞。
Chuāng qián yīng bìng yǔ ，lián wài yàn shuāng fēi 。
(Literal translation of the line: Orioles are talking to each other before the window; the swallows are flying in pairs outside the curtain.) The last character pronounces as “féi”. There are three pairs in the line: before the window vs. outside the curtain; orioles vs. swallows; talking together vs. flying in pairs.

汉致太平三尺剑，周臻大定一戎衣。
Hàn zhì tài píng sān chǐ jiàn ，zhōu zhēn dà dìng yī róng yī 。
(Literal translation of the line: The peace of the Hàn was brought by a three-foot long sword; the stability of the Zhōu was reached when King Wǔ of the Zhōu wore coat armor.) The last character pronounces as “yī”. We mentioned in the foregoing that the first emperor of the Hàn bragged that he defeated his enemy because he was using his three-foot long sword. It is said that when King Wǔ of the Zhōu wore coat armor he was able to overthrow the rule of King Zhòu of the Shāng. There are six pairs in the lines: the Hàn vs. the Zhōu; to come to vs. reached; peace vs. stability; three vs. one; foot vs. piece; sword vs. coat armor.