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.

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