Definition
对子 (duìzi) refers to a pair of antithetical lines of poetry, most famously the Spring Festival couplets (春联 chūnlián) posted on doorways during Chinese New Year. The two lines match in length, tone patterns, and meaning, with the first line on the right and the second on the left. It's a deeply traditional Chinese literary form still widely used in celebrations.
n.
antithetical couplet (a pair of matching poetic lines)Spring Festival couplets (春联)
Examples
- ，对子。Chūnjié de shíhou, jiājiāhùhù dōu huì tiē duì zǐ.During Spring Festival, every household pastes up couplets.
- 对子“”，“”。Zhè fú duì zǐ de shànglián xiě de shì "tiān zēng suìyuè", xiàlián shì "chūn mǎn qiánkūn".The first line of this couplet reads 'Heaven adds years,' and the second line 'Spring fills the world.'
- 对子。Tā xiě le yì fú duì zǐ sòng gěi péngyou dàngzuò xīnnián lǐwù.He wrote a pair of couplets and gave them to a friend as a New Year gift.
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