Cí, also known as chángduǎnjù and shīyú, is a type of lyric poetry in the tradition of Classical Chinese poetry that also draws upon folk traditions. Cí, also known as "song lyrics," use various poetic meters derived from a base set of fixed pattern forms, using fixed-rhythm, fixed-tone, and line-lengths varying according that of the model examples. The rhythmic and tonal pattern of the cí are based upon certain, definitive musical song tunes (cípái), and in many cases the name of the musical tune is given in the title of a cí piece, in a form such as "after ...."

Li Shangyin, courtesy name Yishan, was a Chinese poet and politician of the late Tang dynasty, born in the Henei Commandery. He is noted for his imagist and "no-title" poetic style. Li has been frequently anthologized, and many of his poems have been translated into various languages, including several collections in English.