Jintishi is a highly regulated Chinese verse form that became standard during the Tang dynasty. It usually follows fixed line lengths, strict tonal patterns, an established rhyme scheme, and often parallel syntax in the middle couplets. The form includes the well-known lüshi (eight-line regulated poem) and jueju (four-line cut verse). It is often contrasted with gushi, or older, freer-style verse.
Example
Moonlight gathers on the river wall,
Cold reeds bend low beside the dock.
The first bell rings from the temple hill,
And nets are folded, one by one.
Two lines answer two lines in turn,
Matching branch to branch and wave to wave.
At last the night keeps one clear rhyme,
Like a lantern burning through the rain.