填词 (tián cí) — to write lyrics (to a given tune or rhythmic pattern)

Definition

填词 (tián cí) means to write lyrics to fit an existing melody — common in Chinese songwriting, especially for 流行 and 古风 styles.

verb
to write lyrics (to a given tune or rhythmic pattern)

Examples

  • 填词，。
    Tā tián cí de shuǐ píng hěn gāo, hěn duō gē shǒu dōu zhǎo tā hé zuò.
    His lyric-writing skill is very high; many singers seek him out to collaborate.
  • ，填词。
    Zhè shǒu gē de qǔ yǐ jīng yǒu le, nǐ bāng wǒ tián cí yì shǒu ba.
    This song already has a melody; please help me write lyrics for it.
  • 。
    Tā huā le yì zhōu cái tián hǎo zhè shǒu cí.
    It took him a whole week to finish writing these lyrics.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

填tiánfill/compose
词cílyrics

填 means to fill or compose, and 词 means words or lyrics.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn填
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

填 combines 土 (soil) with 真, which gives the sound.

Open 填 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 詞; 词 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī詞cí(r)
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詞 uses 言, meaning speech, and 司 to show how it was pronounced; the simplified 词 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical sound part.

Open 词 →

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