A Survey of the Rhyme in Cao Zhiqian’s Poems

Abstract

The rhyme in Cao Zhiqian’s poems reflects the influence of the dialects and Mandarin speech in Jin dialects dominant areas on the Yingzhou dialect in the Jin Dynasty. Zhi-wei rhyme also reflects the process of the influence of the dialects in Jin language dominant areas on the Yingzhou dialect in the same period. As a direct relic of the northwest dialects since the Tang Dynasty, the combined rhymes of Ma 2 and Ma 3 is consistent with the rhyme used by men of letters in the south of Shanxi province in the Song and Jin Dynasties. The unmixed groups of Shen she, Zhen she, Ceng she, Geng she and Tong she reflect the characteristics of the Mandarin speech at that time.