Spring Festival Couplet (春聯), also known as Door Couplet, symbolizes the Chinese great expectation for the future. It is one of Spring Festival Mascots and a special literary form of Chinese characteristics. It is also an important part of Chinese New Year culture. Spring Festival Couplet derived from Tao Fu, portraits of Door Gods drawn on peach wood, which were often hung outside the door all through the year to keep off evil spirits.

It finally took shape in the Song Dynasty and went into prevalence in the Ming Dynasty. According to historical records, Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was pretty fond of composing Spring Festival Couplet. Actually, it is not an easy job to create an excellent couplet for there are strict rules. A set of Spring Festival Couplet often consists of Shanglian, Xialian, and Hengpi.

Shanglian and Xialian refer to the couplet pasted beside the door. Hengpi refers to the horizontal scroll bearing an inscription pasted above the door. An excellent Spring Festival Couplet must be semantically auspicious and concisely worded. Shanglian and Xialian should have equal number of characters. The latter one must correspond to the former one in meaning. And semantic redundancy should be avoided. Here goes a popular Spring Festival Couplet.

Original Version:

上聯：天和、地和、人和，和融華夏

下聯：歌美、舞美、花美，美在今宵

橫批：新春大吉

English Version:

Shanglian : Harmonious Heaven, harmonious earth, harmonious people, harmony of Huaxia

Xialian : Beautiful songs, beautiful dance, beautiful flowers, beauty of tonight

Hengpi : New Spring Festival, great auspiciousness