CALLIGRAPHY COUPLET

In the Chinese poetic tradition, a couplet is a pair of antithetical, corresponding lines of poetry that are composed in accordance with certain guidelines. Originating in the third century, the couplet as a poetic form reached the peak of its cultural importance during the Ming and Qing dynasties and survives to this day as an enduring and influential aspect of Chinese culture. The rules regarding a couplet's composition mainly concern the overall length of each line, the lexical category, and the placement of each character. The couplet has a one-to-one correspondence between its two lines in terms of length and properties of opposing characters. As a form of decoration, couplets are most often found on both sides of the entrance to people's homes or hung against an interior wall.

This couplet was made as a birthday gift and, thus, expresses wishes for continued health and happiness. Other common types of couplets are those made to celebrate the New Year and weddings. Funeral couplets express condolences and sorrow. A common pastime is a couplet duel; one person proposes the opening line of the couplet, and the other must complete the second half with speed and intellectural dexterity, matching each character with great precision.