Attached Lyrics

Based on their musical structures, the lyrics for entertainment music of the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties can be classified into five categories: tune lyrics, big suite lyrics, zither lyrics, telling-and-singing lyrics, and unaccompanied lyrics. The category we now turn to—attached lyric ( zhuci 著辭)—is a concept of musical literature shaped by a particular performance setting and the specialized arts associated with it. The term refers specifically to lyrics composed for banquets, used for offering toasts, and integrated with wine-order arts. In terms of musical structure, attached lyrics are still considered a subset of tune lyrics.