Tone pattern
Tone patterns are common constraints in classical Chinese poetry.
The four tones—level (平), rising (上), departing (去), and entering (入) tones—of Middle Chinese are categorized into level (平) tones and oblique (仄) tones. All level tones are level. All other tones are oblique. If tone patterns are used in poetry, the pattern in which level and oblique tones occur in one line is often the inverse of a that of line next to it. For example, in the poem 春望 by Du Fu, the tone pattern of the first line is 仄仄平平仄, while that of the second line is 平平仄仄平:
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