tanka
Definition
- Noun:
- A form of Japanese poetry: A tanka is a traditional, unrhymed Japanese poem with a fixed syllable pattern of five lines, following a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure.
- A Tibetan religious painting: A tanka (also spelled thangka) is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting on fabric, usually depicting a deity, a mandala, or a scene from Buddhist teachings, and used as a teaching or meditation aid.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Japanese poetry):
- She wrote a beautiful tanka about the autumn moon.
- The classical tanka often expresses a single emotion or observation.
- Noun (Tibetan painting):
- The monastery displayed an ancient tanka of the Buddha.
- He studied the intricate symbolism in the Tibetan tanka.
Advanced Usage
- The term tanka can refer to the poetic form's long history, dating back over 1,300 years, making it older than the more internationally known .
- In the context of Tibetan art, a tanka is not merely decorative; it is a sacred object used for visualization practices during meditation.
Variants and Related Words
- Thangka: An alternative spelling for the Tibetan religious painting.
- Haiku: A related, shorter form of Japanese poetry (5-7-5 syllables).
- Waka: An older, broader term for Japanese poetry that includes the tanka form.
Synonyms
- For the poem: (in a broader, historical sense), Japanese verse.
- For the painting: , Buddhist scroll, iconographic painting.
Related Phrases
- Tanka prose: A modern literary form that combines a tanka poem with a prose passage.
- To compose a tanka: To write a poem in the tanka form.
- To mount a tanka: To prepare and frame a Tibetan tanka painting on silk brocade.
Noun
-
a Tibetan religious painting on fabric
-
a form of Japanese poetry; the 1st and 3rd lines have five syllables and the 2nd, 4th, and 5th have seven syllables
