Poem of the name of medicine (English)

Japanese: 薬名詩 - やくめいし（英語表記）yào míng shī

A Chinese poem that recites the names of herbal medicines, or Chinese herbal ingredients. It is one of the miscellaneous names, a form of playful literature that recites a certain type of specialty, and is often produced in a salon-like environment. It began in the imperial salons of the Qi and Liang dynasties in the 5th and 6th centuries. Various techniques are used, such as reciting the name of the herb in each line and using two different meanings. The tradition of poetry on the names of medicines has continued through the Tang and Song dynasties to modern times, but Chen Ya of the Northern Song dynasty in particular introduced the technique of puns, and in popular literature such as variant songs, dramas, and sanqu, it has become increasingly unrestrained, strengthening the character of playful literature.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

本草すなわち漢方薬材の名をよみこむ中国詩。一類の名物をよみこむ遊戯文学〈雑名体〉の一つで，多くはサロン的環境で制作される。5,6世紀，斉，梁の宮廷サロンに始まる。毎句に本草名をよみ，語意を二様にはたらかせるなど，種々の技巧が用いられる。薬名詩の伝統は唐･宋を経て近代まで絶えないが，特に北宋の陳亜はもじりの技法を導入，また変文曲や戯曲，散曲などの俗文学では，それがますます奔放をきわめて遊戯文学の性格を強化している。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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