Or "
tz'u."
Chinese poetry form appearing during the late
Tang Dynasty and into the
Song Dynasty. Marked by irregular line length and elements from spoken or
colloquial language. It originated with
sing-song girls in
brothels and
teahouses who put new words to old tunes. Eventually refined into an elegant art form.
If it seems a bit odd, think of "
The Star-Spangled Banner," the various lyrics to "
Greensleeves/
What Child Is This", and so on.
On the other hand, the ci form is basically a fancified version of, well,
filk.