Chinese Calligraphy · Unit 4 · Lesson 11 · 書法單元四第十一課

How Do You Write Spring Couplets?怎麼寫春聯？

Before the Lunar New Year, red paper goes up beside the door: two matching lines, a short line above, and a diamond with 春 or 福. Watch the brush write 春 and 福 in 3D, decide which line goes on which side of the door, play the upper-line game, and trace the two characters yourself.
農曆新年前，門邊會貼上紅紙：兩句相對的句子、上面一條短的橫批，還有寫著「春」或「福」的菱形紅紙。在 3D 裡看毛筆寫「春」和「福」，決定哪一句貼在門的哪一邊，玩「哪一句是上聯？」，再自己描寫這兩個字。

Big idea · 一句話看懂

Spring couplets are lucky words written on red paper and put up by the door at the Lunar New Year. A couplet has two matching lines. The upper line ends in an oblique tone and the lower line ends in a level tone, and by custom the upper line goes on the right as you face the door.
春聯是農曆新年時寫在紅紙上、貼在門邊的吉祥話。一副對聯有兩句互相對仗的句子：上聯的最後一個字是仄聲，下聯的最後一個字是平聲；照習慣，面對大門時，上聯貼在右邊。

3D Model · 3D 模型

Write It, Then Hang It 先寫，再貼

Drag to turn, and scroll or pinch to zoom. First watch the brush write 春 or 福 on a red diamond of paper. Then go to the door: choose a couplet, decide which line goes on which side, and check your answer.
拖曳可以旋轉，滾輪或雙指可以縮放。先看毛筆在紅色的斗方上寫「春」或「福」。再到大門前：選一副對聯，決定哪一句貼哪一邊，按「檢查」看看對不對。

Drag to turn · 拖曳旋轉　Scroll or pinch to zoom · 滾輪／雙指縮放

This 3D model needs WebGL, which this browser does not support. The reading, the cards, the game, and the practice pad below still work.
這個瀏覽器不支援 WebGL，無法顯示 3D 模型；下方的課文、卡片、小遊戲和練字板一樣能用。

Two steps · 兩個步驟

A diamond of red paper一張紅色的斗方

This paper is a square turned on its corner, so it looks like a diamond. People write one lucky character on it. The brush follows the standard stroke order.這張紙叫斗方：把正方形的紙轉四十五度，看起來像菱形，上面寫一個吉祥的字。毛筆照標準的筆順寫。

Stroke · 第幾筆: — / 9
Name · 筆畫: —

Labels標示

Yellow label: the upper line
黃色標籤：上聯
Red paper with gold flecks
灑金的紅紙
Diamond paper: a square turned on its corner
斗方：把正方形的紙轉 45 度

A teaching model. The door, the wall, and the red paper are our own simple shapes. The characters 春 and 福 on the diamonds are our own brush strokes, written in the stroke order of Taiwan's Ministry of Education (9 strokes and 13 strokes). The words on the long strips are drawn with your device's own font, so they are labels, not models of calligraphy. The door follows the traditional layout: the upper line on the right as you face the door, and the horizontal scroll read from right to left. Customs differ from place to place.
這是教學用的示意模型。大門、牆和紅紙都是我們畫的簡單造型。斗方上的「春」和「福」是我們自己的筆畫資料，筆順依教育部（春 9 畫、福 13 畫）。長條春聯上的字是用你的裝置本身的字型畫的，只是標示文字，不是書法範本。大門照傳統的貼法：面對大門，上聯在右邊，橫批由右往左讀。各地的習慣不完全一樣。

Model, stroke data for 春 and 福, and the writing engine are drawn and programmed by My Culture Connect. Stroke order follows the Ministry of Education's stroke-order site. · 模型、「春」「福」的筆畫資料與寫字引擎由人師教育協會自繪、自寫；筆順依教育部《國字標準字體筆順學習網》。

Reading · 英文閱讀

Unit 11: How Do You Write Spring Couplets?

A few days before the Lunar New Year, something red appears on doors all over Taiwan. Families put up strips of red paper with lucky words written in ink. These are spring couplets.

農曆新年前幾天，台灣到處的門上都出現了紅色。家家戶戶貼上紅紙條，上面用墨寫著吉祥話。這就是春聯。

The custom is very old. Long ago, people hung two boards of peach wood by the door at the New Year to keep bad things away. Later they wrote lucky lines on the boards. The history of the Song dynasty tells of a king of Shu, Meng Chang, who wrote his own pair of lines on the boards one New Year's Eve in the tenth century. In time, red paper took the place of wood.

這個習俗非常古老。很久以前，人們過年時在門邊掛兩塊桃木板（桃符），用來避邪。後來有人在木板上寫吉祥的句子。《宋史》記載，十世紀時後蜀的國君孟昶，有一年除夕親自在桃符上題了一副句子。再後來，紅紙取代了木板。

A couplet is a pair of lines. The two lines have the same number of characters, and their words match each other one by one. One line goes on each side of the door. A short line, the horizontal scroll, goes above the door. Many families also hang a diamond of red paper with just one character, such as 春 for spring or 福 for good fortune.

一副對聯有兩句。兩句的字數一樣，用字一個對一個。門的兩邊各貼一句；門的上方再貼一條短的，叫橫批。很多人家還會貼一張菱形的紅紙，上面只寫一個字，例如「春」或「福」。

Which line goes on which side? Listen to the last character. The upper line ends in an oblique tone, and the lower line ends in a level tone. In Mandarin, the first and second tones are mostly level, and the third and fourth tones are oblique. By custom, the upper line goes on the right as you face the door.

哪一句貼哪一邊？聽聽最後一個字。上聯的末字是仄聲，下聯的末字是平聲。用國語來說，一聲、二聲大多是平聲，三聲、四聲是仄聲。照習慣，面對大門時，上聯貼在右邊。

There is one trap. A few characters, such as 福, are second tone in Mandarin today, but they belong to an old group of short, clipped sounds that count as oblique. That is why some people check a tricky line by saying it in Taiwanese or Hakka.

有一個陷阱。少數幾個字，例如「福」，現在國語唸二聲，可是它們屬於古代一種又短又急的聲調（入聲），算仄聲。所以遇到拿不準的句子，有人會改用台語或客語唸唸看。

You can write your own. Fold the red paper lightly to mark a square for each character, write from top to bottom, and let the ink dry flat. Every winter, calligraphers at museums and halls around Taiwan write couplets for visitors. This year, try writing one yourself.

你也可以自己寫。把紅紙輕輕摺出每個字的方格，從上往下寫，寫完平放晾乾。每年冬天，台灣各地的博物館和紀念館都有書法家為民眾寫春聯。今年，試試看自己寫一副。

Read aloud · 課文朗讀

Questions · 閱讀理解

What did people hang by the door at the New Year long ago, before paper couplets?

Two boards of peach wood, to keep bad things away.

How can you tell the upper line of a couplet from the lower line?

Listen to the last character: the upper line ends in an oblique tone, and the lower line ends in a level tone.

Why is the character 福 a trap for people who use Mandarin tones to check a couplet?

Because 福 is second tone in Mandarin today, but it belongs to an old group of sounds that count as oblique.

Words & Phrases · 生字及片語

couplet(n.)對聯The poem ends with a couplet: two lines that go together.這首詩的結尾是一副對句：互相搭配的兩行。pair(n.)一對；一雙I need a new pair of shoes.我需要一雙新鞋。hang(v.)掛；貼（在牆上、門上）Let's hang the picture above the sofa.我們把這幅畫掛在沙發上面吧。lucky(adj.)幸運的；吉祥的Eight is a lucky number for many people.對很多人來說，八是幸運數字。tone(n.)聲調；語氣Mandarin has four tones.國語有四個聲調。match(v.)相配；對應Your socks do not match.你的兩隻襪子不一樣。fold(v.)摺Fold the paper in half.把紙對摺。custom(n.)習俗Giving red envelopes is a New Year custom.發紅包是過年的習俗。

Quick Check · 小測驗

1. When do families put up spring couplets?

2. How many long lines are in one couplet?

3. The upper line ends in which kind of tone?

4. By custom, where does the upper line go?

5. What is the diamond-shaped paper with one character?

On the Door · 門上有什麼

Four pieces of red paper 四種紅紙

Tap a card to see that piece on the door, or to watch the brush write 福.
點卡片，到模型裡看它貼在門上的哪裡，或看毛筆寫「福」。

Upper line上聯

Ends in an oblique tone · 末字仄聲

The first half of the couplet. By custom it goes on the right as you face the door.
對聯的前一半。照習慣，面對大門時貼在右邊。

Lower line下聯

Ends in a level tone · 末字平聲

The second half. It has the same number of characters, and its words match the upper line one by one.
對聯的後一半。字數和上聯一樣，用字一個對一個。

Horizontal scroll橫批

Above the door · 貼在門的上方

A short line, often four characters, that goes with the couplet.
和對聯搭配的橫幅，常常是四個字。

Diamond paper斗方

One lucky character · 一個吉祥的字

A square of paper turned on its corner, for a single character such as 春 or 福.
把正方形的紙轉四十五度，寫一個字，例如「春」或「福」。

Game · 小遊戲

Which Line Is the Upper Line? 哪一句是上聯？

Here are the two lines of a couplet, in mixed-up order. Say the last character of each line out loud. The line that ends in the third or fourth tone is the upper line. (None of these six has a trap character at the end.)
一副對聯的兩句，順序被弄亂了。把兩句的最後一個字唸出來：末字是三聲或四聲的那一句就是上聯。（這六副的末字都沒有陷阱字。）

Right on the first try一次就答對0 / 8

Practice Pad · 練字板

Trace 春 and 福描寫「春」和「福」

Trace 春 (9 strokes) or 福 (13 strokes) in the order of the blue numbers. These two characters have many strokes, so keep your lines thin and leave room between them.
照藍色數字的順序描寫「春」（9 畫）或「福」（13 畫）。這兩個字筆畫多，線條要細一點，筆畫之間要留空。

Character · 範字

Grid · 米字格 Model · 範字 Order · 筆順

In 春, the three horizontal lines are different lengths: the third is the longest.「春」的三橫長短不同：第三橫最長。
In 福, write the left side first (four strokes), and then the right side from top to bottom.「福」先寫左邊（四畫），再把右邊由上往下寫完。
On real red paper, fold the paper to find the middle before you start.寫在真的紅紙上時，先把紙摺一摺，找出正中間再下筆。

Stories and Taiwan · 故事與台灣

Peach-wood boards, a king's two lines, an emperor's order, and the couplets of today 桃木板、國君的兩句話、皇帝的命令，和今天的春聯

Two things that old books record, one famous story, and where to see couplets being written in Taiwan.
兩件古書記下來的事、一個有名的傳說，還有在台灣哪裡看得到現場寫春聯。

Before Paper · 桃符

Boards of peach wood門邊的桃木板

The dictionary explains that people long ago set two peach-wood boards by the door at the New Year, with the names or pictures of two gods who could catch ghosts. A Qing dynasty book about Beijing says simply, “Spring couplets are peach-wood charms.”
教育部辭典解釋「桃符」：古代相傳有神荼、鬱壘二神能捉百鬼，所以新年時在門旁設兩塊桃木板，寫上二神的名字或畫上圖像，用來驅鬼避邪。清朝的《燕京歲時記》說：「春聯者，即桃符也。」

A King · 孟昶

“The new year brings blessings to spare”新年納餘慶

The History of Song says that every New Year's Eve the king of Shu had a scholar write words on the peach boards beside his bedroom door. One year he did not like them, so he wrote his own: 新年納餘慶，喜節號長春. A Qing scholar called this pair the oldest of its kind. Other books give slightly different words, and some scholars point to still earlier lines.
《宋史》記載，後蜀國君孟昶「每歲除，命學士為詞，題桃符，置寢門左右」；有一年他嫌學士寫得不好，「自命筆題云：『新年納餘慶，喜節號長春。』」清朝的紀昀說這一聯「最古」。不過各書記的字句略有不同（常見的寫法是「嘉節號長春」），也有學者指出還有更早的例子。

A Story · 傳說

Did an emperor order every door to have one?明太祖下令貼春聯？

A famous story says the first Ming emperor ordered every household in his capital to put up a spring couplet on New Year's Eve, and then walked the streets in plain clothes to look at them. The story comes from a Qing dynasty book of anecdotes, written long after his time, so treat it as a story.
有個有名的故事：明太祖定都金陵後，「於除夕忽傳旨：公卿士庶家，門上須加春聯一副」，還微服出去看。這個說法出自清朝的筆記《簪雲樓雜說》（後人轉引），離明太祖的時代已經很久，所以只能當作傳說。

Taiwan · 台灣

Couplets written while you wait現場揮毫送春聯

Each winter the Office of the President gives out a New Year couplet; for 2026, the Year of the Horse, the words were 七喜春來, written by the calligrapher Yu Tianci. The National Palace Museum has invited calligraphers to write couplets and diamond papers for visitors, and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall has held a New Year writing event since 2005.
總統府每年冬天都會發送新年春聯；2026 年（馬年）的賀詞是「七喜春來」，由書法家余天賜揮毫。故宮辦過新春揮毫活動，請書法老師「為民眾揮毫致贈春聯、斗方」；國父紀念館則從民國 94 年（2005）起，每年春節前都舉辦迎春揮毫。

Myth vs. Fact · 常見迷思

Four things people get wrong 四個常見的誤會

✗ Myth · 迷思The two lines can go on either side of the door.兩句貼哪一邊都可以。

✓ Fact · 事實A couplet has an order. The upper line ends in an oblique tone and the lower line in a level tone, and by custom the upper line goes on the right as you face the door.對聯有上下之分：上聯末字仄聲、下聯末字平聲。照習慣，面對大門時上聯貼右邊。

✗ Myth · 迷思Third and fourth tone are always oblique; first and second tone are always level.三聲、四聲一定是仄聲，一聲、二聲一定是平聲。

✓ Fact · 事實Mostly, but not always. The dictionary notes that the old entering tone no longer exists in Mandarin: its characters are now spread across all four tones. So 福 is second tone today but still counts as oblique.大部分是，但不是全部。教育部辭典說：「現國音中已無入聲，入聲字分別歸入陰平、陽平、上聲、去聲四聲之中。」所以「福」現在唸二聲，仍然算仄聲。

✗ Myth · 迷思Spring couplets began with an order from the first Ming emperor.春聯是明太祖下令才開始有的。

✓ Fact · 事實That is a story from a Qing dynasty book. The History of Song already records lines written on New Year peach boards in the tenth century, about four hundred years earlier.那是清朝筆記裡的故事。《宋史》已經記載十世紀時在桃符上題句，比明太祖早了大約四百年。

✗ Myth · 迷思The character 福 must always be hung upside down.「福」字一定要倒著貼。

✓ Fact · 事實Some people do turn it over, because 倒 (upside down) sounds like 到 (to arrive). But it is a play on words, not a rule, and customs differ from family to family.有人把它倒過來貼，因為「倒」和「到」同音，代表「福到」。不過這是諧音的趣味，不是規定；每一家的習慣不一樣。

Remember It · 記憶口訣

Spring couplets in a sentence 一句話記住春聯

Oblique above, level below上仄下平

Listen to the last character of each line.
聽每一句的最後一個字。

Face the door: upper line on the right面對大門，上聯在右

The traditional way to hang a couplet.
傳統的貼法。

Turn the square on its corner斗方轉四十五度

One lucky character: 春 or 福.
寫一個吉祥的字：春、福。

Dry it flat寫完平放晾乾

Wet ink runs if you hang it too soon.
墨還沒乾就掛起來，會往下流。

In the Classroom · 教室提醒

Before you pick up a brush 拿起毛筆之前

Ink stains clothes and is very hard to wash out. Wear old clothes or an apron, and roll up your sleeves.墨沾到衣服很難洗掉：穿舊衣服或圍裙，袖子捲起來。
Cover the desk with old newspaper, and keep the ink in a heavy, steady dish so it will not tip over.桌上先鋪舊報紙；墨要裝在重一點、放得穩的碟子裡，免得打翻。
Press gently. Crushing the brush against the paper squashes the hairs and can split or break them.輕輕地按就好：把筆用力壓在紙上，筆毛會擠扁，也可能分岔或折斷。
Do not put the brush, the ink, or the ink stick in your mouth, and do not lick the brush tip to shape it.毛筆、墨汁、墨條都不要放進嘴裡，也不要用嘴巴舔筆尖。
After writing, wash the brush in clean water until the water runs clear, gently shape it into a point, and hang it tip-down or lay it flat to dry. Wash your hands, too.寫完後用清水洗筆，洗到水變清為止；輕輕把筆毛理成尖形，筆尖朝下掛起來或平放晾乾。也要洗手。

Classroom Activity 1 · 課堂活動一

Write a Diamond of Spring 寫一張「春」字斗方

You need · 準備材料

A square of red paper, about 20 to 30 cm on each side正方形的紅紙，邊長大約 20 到 30 公分
A large brush, ink, and old newspaper to cover the desk大一點的毛筆、墨汁，鋪桌子的舊報紙
Scrap paper for practice練習用的廢紙

Steps · 步驟

Fold the square corner to corner both ways, then open it. The folds cross at the middle.把紅紙沿兩條對角線各摺一次再打開，摺痕交叉的地方就是正中間。
Turn the paper so that one corner points up.把紙轉成一個角朝上。
Practice 春 on scrap paper first, in the right stroke order. Use the practice pad on this page if you like.先在廢紙上照筆順練習「春」。也可以先用這一頁的練字板。
Write 春 on the red paper, with the middle of the character on the cross. Let it dry flat.在紅紙上寫「春」，讓字的中心落在摺痕交叉的地方。寫完平放晾乾。

Load the brush well, but wipe off the extra ink first so it does not drip.
筆要蘸飽墨，但下筆前先把多餘的墨刮掉，才不會滴下來。

Classroom Activity 2 · 課堂活動二

The Classroom Door 教室的大門