Rining Ci

Name: Rining Ci
ISBN: 9787550045989

杨东Feb 2023

3.2

Word count: 45K words
Chapters: 10
ISBN: 9787550045989

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Summary

This is a collection of classical Chinese ci poetry in eight sections, comprising more than 500 ci by the poet Yang Dong. Composed to the rhymes and tonal patterns of the Qinding Cipu and the Cilin Zhengyun, with one piece written to pattern each day, these works follow the formal conventions of classical ci while taking up subjects close to present-day life, which gives the book particular value and relevance for publication. Among them, “Wuma Ci: Celebrating the Success of the Lunar Exploration” and “Fengliu Zi: Lotus Viewing at Shangjinbei” write of contemporary life; “Fengliu Zi: Ode to Plum Blossom,” “Yangliu Zhi: The Third Day of the Third Month,” and “Bapai Man: Picking Tea” record the seasons and the passing years; and “Ganhe Ye: A Pond Scene,” “Paoqiu Yue: Boating on the Lake,” and “Gudiao Xiaoxiao: East Lake” describe scenery and express feeling. Broad in subject matter and both traditional and inventive, this is a collection of classical ci poetry.

Editor's review

Rining Ci is a collection of classical Chinese ci composed according to traditional tonal patterns and rhymes, bringing together more than 500 ci by Yang Dong in eight sections. Its distinguishing feature is the practice of writing one piece to pattern each day: the patterns follow the Qinding Cipu and the rhymes follow the Cilin Zhengyun, so that the metrical rules are strictly traditional while the subjects are drawn from present-day life, such as celebrating the success of the lunar exploration, lotus viewing, tea picking, and boating on the lake, creating a meeting of old forms and contemporary experience. The book records the seasons and the passing years in pieces on plum blossom, the Third Day of the Third Month, and tea picking, and gives expression to scenery and feeling in poems on a pond scene and East Lake; its range is wide and its style clear and refined. Readers familiar with ci patterns can attend to how the author handles the tone and mood of different patterns; general readers can treat the book as a poetry calendar arranged by season and daily life, to be dipped into at random. The collection is substantial and suited to slow reading over time rather than a single sitting, and it can also serve as a reference for learning to write ci, showing how traditional patterns can carry contemporary content.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love classical Chinese poetry and know or wish to learn about ci patterns and their metrical rules
Poetry enthusiasts who want to learn to write ci to pattern and look for models of contemporary practice
Slow readers who enjoy dipping into poems arranged by season and daily life
Readers interested in how classical verse forms take up contemporary life

Not a good fit for

Readers who want only free verse and have no interest in strict metre
Readers expecting long narrative or novel-like plot
Beginners who need detailed notes and appreciation for each poem

Reading tips

There is no need to read straight through; choose poems by section or by ci pattern and accumulate a few each day.
When you meet a familiar pattern, consult the Qinding Cipu and note the arrangement of line lengths and rhymes.
Read pieces on plum blossom, tea picking, or boating alongside the matching season for a stronger sense of participation.
Those learning to write ci can compare several pieces to the same pattern and observe how tone and mood relate to content.

版权信息
序
卷一
卷二
卷三
卷四
卷五
卷六
卷七
卷八

FAQ

Can I read this book without knowing ci patterns and metre?

Yes. The subjects are mostly daily scenes and seasonal life, and the language is clear and refined, so the general sense does not depend on metrical knowledge. To go deeper, begin with a few pieces in familiar patterns, then consult the ci manuals to see how lines and rhymes are arranged; the threshold lowers as familiarity grows.

What is distinctive about the way this book was written?

According to the book, the author wrote one piece to pattern each day, following the Qinding Cipu for patterns and the Cilin Zhengyun for rhymes. That is, each ci observes the metrical requirements of a traditional pattern while its content mostly concerns present-day life and the scenery of the four seasons. This “old patterns, new lyrics” approach preserves the norms of the traditional ci form while keeping the works connected to contemporary experience.

Is it suitable to read more than five hundred ci in one go?

Reading straight through is not really advisable. The book is large and divided into eight sections, and most pieces are short, so it suits slow reading by day or by week, opening a section at random and reading a few poems. This keeps the experience fresh and makes it easier to connect the works with the seasons and scenes of daily life; accumulated over time, the reading yields more than a concentrated push.

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About the author

杨东 Author

Yang Dong is an author whose works span both finance and classical Chinese poetry, though public information about him is limited; two of his works are currently held in the collection. Among them, Metaverse and Digital Assets belongs to the finance category, focusing on the emerging topics of the metaverse concept and digital assets, which reflects the author's observation of and reflection on frontier developments in the digital economy. Rining Ci, by contrast, is classified as classical Chinese poetry, indicating that the author has also engaged in traditional verse writing. The two subjects are quite far apart: one addresses contemporary discussions of technology and forms of assets, while the other returns to the language and prosody of classical poetry, forming an unusual combination. Since no clear records are available regarding his dates of birth and death, nationality, education, or professional experience, no speculation is offered here; the aim is simply to sketch a general picture based on the subject matter of his known works for readers' reference.