TZ'U

in Chinese poetry, song form characterized by lines of unequal length, with prescribed rhyme schemes and tonal patterns, each bearing the name of a musical air. The varying line lengths are comparable to the natural rhythm of speech and therefore easily understood when sung. First sung by ordinary folk, they were popularized by professional women singers and poets during the T'ang dynasty (618907). The tz'u served as a major vehicle for Sung dynasty (9601279) verse.