TL;DR: Tết couplets are two matching halves written on red paper, said to originate from the custom of hanging peach-wood tablets carved with the images of the door guardian deities of the ancient Chinese; in Vietnam there is a legend passed down from the reign of King Lê Thánh Tông. People in the past pasted and hung couplets at the entrance, on house pillars and at the ancestral altar to pray for peace and prosperity. To write a pair of couplets one must master the rules of bằng trắc tones, the niêm luật, and matching styles such as câu cách cú and câu gối hạc.
What Are Tet Couplets and When Did They Begin?
Tet couplets are two parallel lines, equal in the number of characters, matched in sound, meaning and word class, usually written on red paper or gilded red-lacquered wood and hung at the house door, the main pillar or the ancestor altar during Tet Nguyen Dan. In the Vietnamese mind, Tet couplets are one of the six most emblematic things of the traditional Tet, alongside banh chung, the cay neu, firecrackers, pickled onions and fatty meat[2].
On origins, several theories exist and scholars do not fully agree. An article in Nhân Dân newspaper cites a Chinese dictionary: in the past, at New Year people carved two deities on peach wood and hung them outside the door to drive away evil, which is the peach tablet (đào phù); later these were replaced by paper pictures, and by the Later Shu period they developed into couplets, the first person to hang a couplet being Mạnh Xưởng (Meng Chang)[1]. The article gives the two deities' names as Trần Trà and Quách Lũy; Phan Kế Bính writes them as Thần trà and Uất lũy[4].
The article also mentions the New Year poem by Wang Anshi of the Song dynasty, which has a line about replacing peach tablets to welcome the new year, and adds that some researchers think spring couplets existed well before that[1].
In Vietnam, according to Phan Ke Binh's Viet Nam phong tuc, couplets were part of the scene of preparing for Tet. The book records that half a month before Tet, village teachers of letters went out to the market to write couplets for sale, and a few days before Tet "Câu đối đỏ dán cửa, dán cột sáng choang, treo tranh treo liễn trang hoàng lịch sự" (red couplets pasted on doors and pillars, bright and shining, with pictures and scrolls hung up as decoration)[4]. This shows that by at least the early 20th century, Tet couplets had become an indispensable part of the Vietnamese Tet space.
Where Did People in the Past Hang Tet Couplets?
People in the past hung Tet couplets in the most formal positions in the house, where visitors and descendants would see them first. Specifically:
- Doorway: Phan Kế Bính records red couplets pasted on doors[4]; an article in Tuổi Trẻ notes that people pasted phrases such as Xuất nhập bình an and Ngũ phúc lâm môn in front of the door[5].
- House pillars: red paper couplets pasted on pillars[4]; wooden couplets lacquered black or red with gold characters, sometimes curved to fit around a pillar[1].
- Ancestor altar: at Tet the ancestor altar usually carries a few red couplets, expressing reverence for the ancestors and a prayer for the descendants' health and prosperity[2].
- Inside the house: better-off families bought an extra fine pair of couplets to decorate the house or to place at the altar[1]; Tuổi Trẻ also mentions the characters Đại kiết pasted on the wardrobe and the character Mãn pasted on the rice jar[5].
According to Phan Ke Binh, many households also pasted a painting of the Quan Tuong or the four characters "Than tra Uat luy" before the door, meaning to make ghosts afraid and keep them from entering the house[4]. This custom shares its root with the custom of hanging couplets: both stem from the notion of using words and symbols to suppress evil spirits and pray for peace.
Basic Rules of Parallelism: What Must a Tet Couplet Follow?
To write a proper pair of Tet couplets, the writer must master the following basic rules:
| Rule | Content | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Matching in meaning | The two lines must balance each other in meaning | "Ngoi do lop nghe" against "Da xanh xay cong" |
| Matching word class | Noun against noun, verb against verb, adjective against adjective | "Troi" against "Dat" |
| Matching tone (bang/trac) | A bang character (no tone mark or huyen tone) must match a trac character (sac, hoi, nga, nang tones) | "Xuan" (bang) against "Tet" (trac) |
| Number of characters | The two lines must have an equal number of characters | If line one has seven characters, line two has seven |
According to an article in Nhan Dan newspaper, beyond these rules the couplet is also divided into several forms[1]:
- Cau cach cu: each line consists of two matching segments, short then long. Example: "Ngoi do lop nghe // lop tren de lop duoi. Da xanh xay cong // hon duoi nong hon tren."
- Cau goi hac (hac tat): each line has three segments or more, like the legs of a crane. Example: "Nao thuo truoc duoi rung cay // nghe nhac ngua // thap thoang bong du dang kieu // nhung than dai chi ca truong phu. Ma den nay ngoi be ngoc ngam tranh nguoi // xon xao dau mu got hai // lai lam khoang ngoi sang hoang de."
The couplet does not prescribe a number of characters; it may be short or long, so long as the two lines match precisely and follow the bang/trac rules[1].
What Is Special About Tet Couplets in Vietnam?
According to Nhân Dân newspaper, Tet couplets today are written not only in Han characters but also in Vietnamese script[1].
According to an article on VTC News, legend tells that one year King Le Thanh Tong toured the streets to watch the people celebrate Tet, saw a house with no couplet and went in to ask. Learning it was the home of a widowed dyer whose son was away, the king had paper and brush brought and wrote as a gift: "Thien ha thanh hoang giai nga thu; Trieu dinh chu tu tong ngo gia" (Blue and yellow in the world are all my hand; red and purple in the court are all my house)[2]. This is a handed-down tale, not a historical record; it shows that in folk memory Tet couplets belonged to king and commoner alike.
Why Are Tet Couplets Usually Written on Red Paper?
According to an article on VTC News, Tet couplets are usually written on red paper, because red symbolises warmth and suits the sacred atmosphere of Tet[2]. The article adds that red perhaps also carries the sense of the custom of using red to frighten the demon of legend, that people sometimes wrote on yellow paper but less often, and that because black characters were written on red or peach-pink paper they came to be called red couplets[2].
Famous Tet Couplets and How the Spring Couplet Is Enjoyed
The most famous Tet couplet in Vietnamese culture is perhaps the folk pair: "Thit mo, dua hanh, cau doi do / Cay neu, trang phao, banh chung xanh"[3]. This pair lists six indispensable things of the traditional Tet, with the red couplet standing beside the fatty meat and pickled onions, evoking a Tet space both material and spiritual.
Another anecdote tells of Wang Xizhi of the Jin dynasty, the famed calligrapher, who on the last afternoon of Tet hung a pair reading "Phuc vo song chi" (Blessings do not come in twos) and "Hoa bat don hanh" (Misfortunes never come singly). Viewers frowned and walked away, taking it as ill-omened. The next day, Wang Xizhi added to the lower part: "Blessings do not come in pairs, this morning they came. Misfortunes do not come singly, last night they left," turning the pair into a profound blessing[1]. This anecdote shows that couplets are not only literature but also a delightful play of words.
According to an article on VietnamNet, writing couplets, displaying couplets and commenting on their fine words and ideas was a custom full of cultural identity for our forebears[3]. In the past, famous scholars all wrote couplets by hand on red paper and hung them solemnly in the house so that at Tet they could discuss them with friends. Those with less learning would come to ask a famous scholar for a couplet, or buy one at the Tet markets[3].
Phan Ke Binh in Viet Nam phong tuc also notes that couplets and lien were used on occasions of longevity celebrations and congratulations on passing examinations, in forms such as gilded red lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlay or embroidery on brocade[4]. This shows that couplets were tied not only to Tet but were also a form of congratulatory culture on many important occasions of a person's life.
Are Tet Couplets Still Enjoyed Today?
According to Nhân Dân newspaper, many calligraphers and ordinary people still enjoy Tet couplets today, and Tet newspaper issues still carry a couplet column[1]. VietnamNet notes that printed couplets are now sold in few places, leaving only the present-day ông đồ with their stalls at Văn Miếu[3].
How Do Tet Couplets Differ From Altar Couplets and Celebration Couplets?
Tet couplets, altar couplets and celebration couplets are all couplets, but they differ in purpose of use and content:
| Type of couplet | Purpose | Hanging position | Usual content |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tet couplet | To welcome the new year, pray for peace | Doorway, house pillars, ancestor altar | Spring wishes, praise of nature, prayers for peace and prosperity |
| Altar couplet | To praise ancestral and divine merit | Altar, communal house, pagoda | Recalling the merits of forebears, praying for protection |
| Celebration couplet | To congratulate longevity, passing exams, a new home | Private house, clan temple | Praising the person honoured, offering blessings |
According to Phan Ke Binh, couplets and lien on occasions of longevity or examination success were usually made of brocade, red Western cloth, or gilded red lacquer with mother-of-pearl inlay[4]. Tet couplets, meanwhile, were mainly written on red paper to be pasted and renewed each year[2].
Summary
Tet couplets are a long-standing cultural custom, said to originate in the ancient Chinese custom of hanging peach-wood tablets carved with door-guarding deities, which became a springtime pastime of the Vietnamese, with a handed-down tale dating it to the time of King Lê Thánh Tông. People in the past hung couplets at doorways, house pillars, altars and other formal places in the home. To write a proper pair, the writer must master the rules of matching in meaning, word class and bang/trac tones, and forms such as cau cach cu and cau goi hac. Today, though the image of the teacher of letters writing Tet couplets has faded, Tet couplets remain a beautiful symbol of Vietnamese culture during Tet Nguyen Dan.
