To prevent ambiguity, I first need to explain my 'prosody': 'ge' refers to the form, 'lu' refers to rhyme. Once these two are clarified, we can begin the discussion.

Regulated verse, in contrast to ancient verse, sounds like a label for near-modern poetry, but in fact it refers to the system of regulated verse and quatrains that began to take shape in the Tang Dynasty. The biggest feature of this system is its standardized and strict form, with rhymes arranged. Among them, jueju has four lines, divided into five-character and seven-character jueju; lüshi is eight lines.

Modern poetry refers to vernacular poetry from the late modern era to the present. A major feature of modern poetry is that there are no formal requirements, not compulsory, not rhymed. As Doubao would say, “very free, whatever you want to write.” The most representative example is the poet Bei Dao's “Life.” Some people question whether Bei Dao writes nonsense—what kind of poetry is that? But according to my research, this is an excerpt from Bei Dao's Notes from the Solar City, and Notes from the Solar City throughout are one or two lines, or even just a few characters, so this poem, “Life,” is obviously poetry.

Returning to the point, modern poetry is popular not only because it is easy to read and write, but also because it is free. Regulated verse, although represented by Bai Juyi, a form that even a street vendor can understand, is more often poetry that scholars cannot decisively pin down, let alone the complex rhyming rules and strict prosody. And modern poetry may be a few thought prompts you scribble, or perhaps a few quoted phrases. If regulated verse is dancing with a “shackle,” then modern poetry is breaking the shackles and dancing freely in the heavens and on earth.

One might ask, if vernacular poetry also has to observe form and end rhyme, what difference does it have from the Eight-Legged Essays?