This term has two meanings. Firstly, as a stylistic term in writing, it represents a combination of elegant, concordant, and melodious sounds. Rhyme originally was one of the factors contributing to the correct pronunciation of Chinese characters. Rhyme is important for poetry, including ci poetry, and ballad verses. In such writings, attention is placed on where rhyming should take place in a poetic line, whether rhymes actually match well, and rhythms’ harmonious variations, thus showing the rhythmical beauty of the Chinese language. Secondly, as a literary term, it means charm, suggesting natural fluidity and elegant simplicity. It is often used together with other Chinese characters to mean vivid charm, graceful appeal, or creative verve. Nuanced beauty is widely used in commentaries on painting, calligraphy and musical composition. Charm and vividness both refer to an indescribable appeal a piece of artistic writing emanates, but the former is more about aspects such as tenderness, implications, elegance and natural flow of such a work.

There are six rules for painting. A painting should be full of vitality and artistic appeal; the painting brush should be used in such a way as to make changes in lines natural; the image painted should suit the appearance of the painted object; coloring should suit the features of the object portrayed; the painting should be well structured to present an overall visual effect; and masterpieces of past painters should be copied to draw inspiration from them.

(Xie He: An Appraisal of Ancient Paintings)

I found Tao Yuanming’s poems boring when I first read them. Only after a more thorough reading did I recognize their charm. In his old age, Su Shi loved Tao's poems most, believing that even Li Bai or Du Fu was no match for him. What attracted him was the distinctive appeal of charm in Tao's poems.

(Chen Shan: Daring Remarks on Literature)

When reading ancient people’s poems, one needs to watch for their spirit and charm. Spirit means a poet’s charisma, whereas charm reflects his style and grace. It is like admiring a fine flower, when one comes to learn that its loveliness lies beyond mere color or form.

 (Fang Dongshu: Rambling Words to Expose the Secrets of Poetry Writing)