词牌 cípái tune name Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 词 詞 cí noun ci poetry a classical form of lyric poetry consisting of lines of irregular length, set to music; it originated in the Tang Dynasty and flourished during the Song Dynasty牌 pái rhythm pattern (bound form) fixed melody or prosodic pattern used for lyrics in classical poetry or music, such as a 词牌 cípái or 曲牌 qǔpái