Poetry is one of the most revered art forms in Chinese culture. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) is considered the golden age, with poets like 李白 and 杜甫 still memorised by every Chinese student.
usage
The measure word for poems is 首, not 个. 古诗 means classical / ancient poetry; 现代诗 means modern poetry.
Left speech-radical 讠 (simplified from 言) - the indexing radical. Poetry is words crafted with care; the speech-radical groups 诗 with 词 (lyric), 语 (language), 说 (speak), 论 (discuss) - all word-and-utterance characters.
Right 寺 supplies the sound (寺 sì → 诗 shī, a regular alternation in the same phonetic family). 寺 originally meant 'court office' before its Buddhist-temple sense developed. Phonetic family: 时 (time), 持 (hold), 等 (wait), 特 (special) - all built on 寺.
