Chinese couplets

What is a Chinese couplet?

A couplet, 对联 (duìlián), is a pair of lines of the same length, written in brush calligraphy, 书法 (shūfǎ), on long strips of paper hung on either side of a door, often with a short third line across the top, the 横批 (héngpī). At Chinese New Year, 春节 (Chūnjié), families paste up new red ones, the spring couplets, 春联 (chūnlián), with wishes for the year. They grew from peachwood charms hung on doors to keep evil away; the first couplet on record was written by Meng Chang, ruler of Later Shu, for the New Year of 964.

How do Chinese couplets work?

The two lines, the upper line 上联 (shànglián) and the lower line 下联 (xiàlián), have the same number of characters and match word for word, 对仗 (duìzhàng): a number answers a number, a noun a noun, a verb a verb, as 一帆 (one sail) answers 万事 (all things). The tones contrast too, 平仄 (píngzè): the upper line ends on an oblique tone, 仄声 (zèshēng), today’s third or fourth tone, and the lower line on a level tone, 平声 (píngshēng), the first or second: 寿 (shòu) and 门 (mén), 好 (hǎo) and 高 (gāo).

Which side does each line of a couplet go on?

Traditionally the upper line goes on the right as you face the door and the lower line on the left, because Chinese was written top to bottom and right to left; the top line then reads right to left too. Many top lines are now written left to right, and then the upper line goes on the left. The rule is to match the top line: the upper line goes on the side where it starts. You can tell the upper line by its last character’s tone, the third or fourth.

Why is 福 hung upside down?

Upside down is 倒 (dào), which sounds like 到 (dào), to arrive: so 福倒了, “good fortune is upside down”, sounds like 福到了, “good fortune has arrived”. The diamond-shaped 福 (fú) goes on doors, walls and the rice jar at New Year. Many people say it should be the right way up on the main door, beside the couplets, and upside down only on inside doors and things like the bin, so that good fortune isn’t poured away.

When do you put up spring couplets?

In the last days of the old year, often on the 28th or 29th of the twelfth lunar month or the morning of New Year’s Eve, 除夕 (chúxī), along with paper window cuts, 窗花 (chuānghuā), New Year pictures, 年画 (niánhuà), and the door gods, 门神 (ménshén). They usually stay up all year until the next New Year covers them. A family in mourning puts up no red couplets for the first New Year, or white, yellow or green ones instead.

What couplets are used for weddings and funerals?

Wedding couplets are red, with double happiness, 双喜 (shuāngxǐ), the character 囍, and top lines like 百年好合 (bǎinián hǎohé), a happy union for a hundred years. Funeral couplets, 挽联 (wǎnlián), are white, in praise of the person who died. Couplets also hang on the pillars of temples and halls, 楹联 (yínglián), and in the Year of the Horse a favourite top line is 马到成功 (mǎ dào chénggōng), success the moment the horse arrives.

Can’t hear it?

Play uses your device’s Mandarin voice. Edge, Chrome and Safari have one; a browser with none plays each character in our recorded voice instead.

More Chinese culture

• Chinese New Year words
• Chinese calligraphy generator
• Chinese poems with pinyin
• Chinese wedding words