The ci is a verse form that joins lines of varying length to banquet melodies: the tune comes first and the words are filled in to its lengths, which is why the lines are long and short.
In the late Tang, Wen Tingyun and others wrote words to banquet melodies, and the form first took shape. Zhao Chongzuo of the Later Shu compiled Among the Flowers, the earliest surviving anthology of literati lyrics.
In the Song, Su Shi wrote "Remembering the Past at Red Cliff" and opened the bold manner, and the Song ci reached its height. Su Shi and Xin Qiji lean to the bold, Liu Yong and Zhou Bangyan to the delicate. The ci also moved from literati gatherings to townspeople as its audience.
Song Lyric Rhythm is the class in the chapter on Letters on the ci, a verse form that joins lines of varying length to banquet melodies. It took shape in the late Tang, and in the Song it had the bold manner of Su Shi and Xin Qiji and the delicate manner of Liu Yong and Zhou Bangyan, while its audience moved from literati gatherings to townspeople.
