Querying "Couplet Originated from TaoFu"—A Study on the Language and Metrical Rhythm of Couplet

It is commonly believed by couplet experts that couplet originated from Taofu, which is actually a misunderstanding. This paper argues that the couplet stemmed from antithesis sentences appearing in the pre-Qin literature and gradually developed into an independent literary form under the influence of parallel prose in Six Dynasties, regulated verse in Tang Dynasty, iambic verse in Song Dynasty and drama in Yuan Dynasty. Only these deserve to be called the origins of couplet, while Taofu was no more than the media to promote the use of couplet on the doorframe and coinage of the term "couplet".