Reflecting on a Century of Research on the Tunes and Prosody of Ci

Abstract Over the past century, there have been many accomplishments in the study of the tunes ( diao ) and prosody ( lü ) of medieval ci . Research into the ci tunes is relatively mature and that into ci prosody is slightly less developed, although it has been advancing of late and has generated noteworthy results. Nonetheless, compared with the history and theory of ci , the study of ci tunes and prosody is still underdeveloped. The main problems are the lack of systematic and integrated research, insufficient in-depth research, limited interdisciplinary collaboration, and a general under-appreciation of the academic value of ci tunes and prosody as distinct fields of study. From the perspective of the development trends of ci studies, the advent of the big data era will bring the study of ci tunes and prosody and ci -related documentary research into closer collaboration. At the same time, the subfields of returning to the Tang and Song dynasties to trace the origins of the ci tunes and clarifying questions arising from subordinate variations of tunes will also be recognized by more scholars.