Chinese rhyme dictionary. Classical Pingshui Yun (24 of 106 selected) + Modern Zhonghua New Rhymes (14 groups). Essential for poetry / lyric composition.
Chinese Rhyme Dictionary (押韵字典)
How to use
Search by character
Enter a character (e.g. 天, 春, 风) — the tool returns its rhyme group and other rhyming characters.
Search by rhyme group
Enter a group name (e.g. 一东, 麻韵) to list all characters in that rhyme.
Two parallel systems
Pingshui Yun (for writing classical regulated verse, ci) + Zhonghua New Rhymes (for modern poetry/lyrics).
Ru-tone (入声) note
Ru-tone characters are gone from modern Mandarin but still essential for classical metre — flagged explicitly in classical entries.
Chinese rhyme dictionaries — 1,500 years of tradition
Chinese rhyme books began with the Qieyun (601 AD), matured through Tang-Song, and reached final form in Ming-Qing. The two key systems: Pingshui Yun (Southern Song, 106 rhymes) is the gold standard for classical poetry — Du Fu, Li Bai, Su Shi all rhymed by it. Zhonghua New Rhymes (2005) is the modern Mandarin-based simplification — 14 groups, used for modern poetry and pop lyrics.
What is "Ru-tone" (入声)?
The fourth tone of classical Chinese (平上去入), characterised by a sharp consonantal ending (-p / -t / -k). It vanished from modern Mandarin but survives in Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka. Classical-poetry composition requires consulting a Ru-tone reference — the single biggest obstacle for Mandarin speakers writing classical verse.
"A Mandarin speaker reads 白 / 读 / 日 as 2nd or 4th tone, but in classical metre these are oblique (仄) — they\'re Ru-tone characters. Mistaking oblique for level breaks the metre."
What is "Ping-Ze" (平仄)?
The metrical foundation of classical Chinese poetry: Level tones (平) — Pingshui Yun\'s 30 rhymes split into 上平/下平 — vs Oblique tones (仄) — 76 rhymes across 上声/去声/入声. The parallelism of regulated verse and the rhyming positions of quatrains all hinge on this distinction.
Practical uses
(1) Writing classical poetry: quatrains, regulated verse, ci all need precise rhyming. (2) Writing modern lyrics: Mandarin pop (Jay Chou, JJ Lin) uses Zhonghua New Rhymes. (3) Appreciation: understanding why Du Fu\'s "Climbing High" is called the greatest 七律 ever written — all 8 lines parallel, every line rhymes.
10 facts about Chinese rhyming
Pingshui Yun (1252 AD, by Liu Yuan of Southern Song) is the gold standard for classical Chinese poetry rhyming — still in use 700+ years later.
Pingshui Yun has 106 rhymes: 30 level (上平 15 + 下平 15) + 29 rising + 30 departing + 17 entering (Ru-tone).
Entering-tone (Ru) characters have completely vanished from Mandarin — the single biggest pitfall when composing classical verse.
Cantonese preserves Ru-tone most fully — Hong Kong speakers writing classical verse have a natural metrical sense northerners lack.
Zhonghua New Rhymes (2005) is the modernised Pingshui Yun for Mandarin — 14 groups based on modern Chinese finals.
In a 七律 (7-char regulated verse, 8 lines) rhyming is only on even-numbered line-endings (2/4/6/8); the 1st line is optional.
Ci (词) differ from poems — each tune-name (词牌) has a fixed rhyme scheme (e.g. Pusa Man, Shui Diao Ge Tou).
Ping-Ze (level vs oblique) rule: in regulated verse, each line's tones must follow a prescribed level/oblique pattern — the bedrock of Chinese metre.
Mao Zedong's poems (e.g. Snow, Lou Mountain Pass) rhyme by Pingshui Yun — a classical-metre purist in the 20th century.
SG + MY Chinese classical poetry societies are active — Singapore's Xinsheng Poetry Society, Malaysia's Tianlangxing Poetry Society — all compose using Pingshui Yun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Classical verse / regulated verse / ci → Pingshui Yun. Modern poetry / pop lyrics → Zhonghua New Rhymes. Do not mix.
The 4th tone of classical Chinese, ending in -p/-t/-k. Lost in Mandarin (merged into others). Still required for classical metre — Mandarin speakers must look them up. Cantonese / Hokkien / Hakka preserve them.
14 modern + 24 selected classical (core subset of Pingshui Yun's 106 rhymes). Full coverage requires specialist classical references.
Pingshui Yun splits into level (平) = 30 rhymes, oblique (仄) = 76 rhymes (rising + departing + entering). Regulated verse follows prescribed level/oblique patterns.
7 chars × 8 lines. Even-numbered line endings must rhyme (2/4/6/8). 1st line optional. The entire poem stays in one rhyme group — no switching.
No. Each ci tune (e.g. Rumeng Ling, Yi Jiangnan) has its own rhyme scheme — which lines rhyme, level vs oblique, all dictated by the tune.
Pingshui Yun (Liu Yuan, Song dynasty) + Zhonghua New Rhymes (2005, Chinese Poetry Society) — both public domain.
Yes. Cantonese preserves Ru-tone + the full 4-tone system, making it phonologically closest to Pingshui Yun. Cantonese recitation of classical verse sounds most "right".
Zhonghua New Rhymes (Mandarin-based). Jay Chou, JJ Lin, G.E.M. all use modern rhymes — occasionally cross-rhyming for artistic effect.
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