Chinese Poetry Metre Checker
Check a quatrain or regulated verse line by line: character count, the four standard tonal patterns, rhyming in the fourteen modern rhyme groups, and common entering-tone corrections
Entering-tone words such as 白, 国, 学, 日 sound level in modern Mandarin but were oblique in classical prosody. Switch this off to check modern tones only.
Rhyme helper
What this checker does
The checker compares your poem with the four standard patterns for the chosen form, using the rule “positions 1, 3 and 5 are flexible; positions 2, 4 and 6 are strict”. Modern tones decide level and oblique: first and second tones are level, third and fourth are oblique. When the entering-tone switch is on, a list of common entering-tone characters is forced to oblique, which is closer to classical practice. Rhyme is checked against the fourteen rhyme groups of 中华新韵 (modern Mandarin), not against the 106 groups of 平水韵, so a poem written strictly in Ping Shui Yun may be flagged where modern pronunciation has drifted.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a famous poem sometimes fail?
Many well-known poems are free verse (古体) or use an older rhyme book. Even regulated verse often relaxes positions 1, 3 and 5. The checker reports deviations, it does not declare a poem “wrong”.
What is the difference between 平水韵 and 中华新韵?
平水韵 is a historical rhyme book with 106 groups, still used by classical poets. 中华新韵 groups rhymes by modern Mandarin finals into fourteen groups. This tool uses the modern fourteen groups.
Can I paste a poem with punctuation?
Yes. Commas, full stops and line breaks are used as separators, so you can paste the poem exactly as it is usually written.