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Tonal and Rhythmical Patterns
指诗文中将汉语的声、韵、调互相配合以形成音韵美的一般法则。南朝齐梁时的文士周颙（yóng）将汉语的自然发音区分为平声、上声、去声、入声，沈约（441—513）在此基础上提出声调高低互相调节、平声和仄声前后配合的诗歌创作规则，以及在声调、声母、韵母搭配上存在的八种弊病。刘勰（465？—520）《文心雕龙》指出，诗歌上下文以声调的飞扬与沉降（相当于平声和仄声）相配产生节奏美，以韵母相同的字收尾押韵产生呼应美。刘勰将音韵和谐协调的要求推及一切文章，既是为了利于传播和接受，也表明对诵读美本身的重视，反映了南朝文人对形式美的追求，启示唐人写出工整优美的律诗。早期的声律理论多借助于音乐概念，后来发展为专门的汉语音韵学。
This term refers to rules and practices which create tonal and rhythmical beauty in prose and verse by blending sounds, rhythms and tones together. Zhou Yong, a scholar of the Qi and Liang periods of the Southern Dynasties, divided the intonation of the Chinese language into four tones: the level tone, the rising tone, the entering tone and the falling tone. On that basis, Shen Yue (441-513), another scholar, proposed his rules for poetry writing, whereby high pitches are countered by low ones and level and rising tones are countered by entering and falling tones. He also analyzed the eight types of poor matches between tones, initial consonants and ensuing vowels. In his representative work The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, Liu Xie (465?-520) pointed out that rhythmical beauty in poetry can be created by using various tones alternately (i.e., countering even and rising tones with entering and falling tones). Likewise, beauty of echoing can be produced by adopting the same vowel at the end of each poetic line. Liu Xie extended this rule of tonal and rhythmical harmony to other genres of writing to both ensure readability and express his love for the beauty of chanting. His effort shows Southern Dynasties scholars’ pursuit of the beauty of formalism, which later inspired Tang Dynasty literary figures to create neat and beautiful metrical poetry. The early theories of metrical beauty, drawing heavily from traditional musical terminology, later developed into the phonology of the Chinese language.
引例 Citations：
◎夫五色相宣，八音协畅，由乎玄黄律吕，各适物宜。欲使宫羽相变，低昂互节，若前有浮声，则后须切响。（《宋书·谢灵运传论》）
（五种颜色互相映衬，八类材质的乐器发出的声音和谐流畅，让色彩和乐音，各自有合适的调配。诗歌也要做到平声与仄声有相应的变化，低沉和高昂的声音相互调节，如果前面声调轻扬，后面的声调就要短促响亮。）
The five colors set each other off beautifully, and musical instruments made of eight materials produce harmonious and smooth sounds. One should make all colors and musical notes fit together nicely. Poetry, too, should vary in intonation, alternating between the even and rising tones and the entering and falling tones, and also between low and high sounds. If a tone rises gently, the tone that follows it should be loud and short. (The History of the Song of the Southern Dynasties)
◎夫音律所始，本于人声者也。声含宫商，肇自血气，先王因之，以制乐歌。故知器写人声，声非学器者也。故言语者，文章神明枢机，吐纳律吕，唇吻而已。（刘勰《文心雕龙·声律》）
（音律是根据人的声音创制的。人声包含有五音变化，这是先天禀赋，古代帝王根据人的声音制作乐歌。可见乐器是模仿人的声音，而不是人的声音模仿乐器。因此，语言是文章表达思想的关键，至于语言符合韵律，只是调节人的唇吻而已。）
Metrical rules are derived from human sounds. Human sounds have naturally developed pentatonic scale. Ancient kings and emperors produced melodies and songs in imitation of human sounds. Apparently, it is musical instruments that mimic human sounds, not vice versa. Therefore, language is crucial to the expression of thought. As to suiting language to metrical rules, it is only to make verbal utterance easier. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
