Chinese Classical Poetry Database API Documentation

Chinese Classical Poetry Database API: Technical Guide and Integration Notes

The Chinese Classical Poetry Database API from GuGuData helps developers search Chinese classical poetry, including Tang poetry, Song poetry, and Song lyrics, with keyword and type filters.

This article is written for developers who want a crawlable, readable reference before integrating the endpoint into a product, data pipeline, internal tool, or technical workflow. The official detail page is https://gugudata.io/details/chinesepoem.

API details

Item	Value
API name	Chinese Classical Poetry Database
Category	Metadata APIs
Method	GET
Endpoint	https://api.gugudata.io/v1/text/chinese-poem
Content type	query parameters
Demo endpoint	https://api.gugudata.io/v1/text/chinese-poem/demo
Detail page	https://gugudata.io/details/chinesepoem
OpenAPI JSON	https://gugudata.io/assets/openapi/gugudata.openapi.3.1.json

When to use this API

• Search Chinese classical poetry by keyword and type.
• Build education and cultural content tools.
• Use poetry metadata in language learning applications.

Request parameters

This endpoint accepts parameters through the query string. Keep appkey out of client-side public code and send it only from trusted server-side environments.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
appkey	string	Yes	YOUR_APPKEY	Application key used for request authentication. Supply the value as a query parameter, form field, or multipart field according to the request content type.
keywords	string	No	-	Keyword used for fuzzy matching against the searchable text fields supported by this endpoint.
pagesize	integer	No	10	Number of records returned per page.
pagenumber	integer	No	1	One-based page number for pagination.
type	string	No	-	Poetry type filter. Accepted values are 唐诗, 宋诗, and 宋词.
searchtype	string	No	all	Search scope accepted by the API contract. The demo uses all.

Example request

curl -G "https://api.gugudata.io/v1/text/chinese-poem" \
  --data-urlencode "appkey=YOUR_APPKEY" \
  --data-urlencode "keywords=Li Bai" \
  --data-urlencode "pagesize=10" \
  --data-urlencode "pagenumber=1" \
  --data-urlencode "type=%E5%94%90%E8%AF%97" \
  --data-urlencode "searchtype=all"

Response fields

The response body contains the fields below for successful JSON responses. For binary endpoints, the success response is returned as binary content and JSON is used for error responses.

Field	Type	Required	Description
dataStatus	object	Yes	Response metadata. dataStatus.statusCode is a response body status field, not the HTTP status code.
dataStatus.requestParameter	string	Yes	Normalized request parameters echoed by the service. Sensitive credentials are omitted when available.
dataStatus.statusCode	integer	Yes	Response body status field. Successful demo responses currently return 100.
dataStatus.statusDescription	string	Yes	Response body status message. Successful demo responses currently return a Chinese message.
dataStatus.responseDateTime	string	Yes	Response timestamp returned by the API response.
dataStatus.dataTotalCount	integer	Yes	Total number of records that match the request.
data	array<string>	Yes	Primary response payload returned by the endpoint.
data[].title	string	Yes	Title of the poem or lyric
data[].author	string	Yes	Author name
data[].content	array<string>	Yes	Array of strings containing the poem/lyric content, each element is one line
data[].type	string	Yes	Poetry type returned by the dataset, such as 唐诗, 宋诗, or 宋词.

Response example

{
  "dataStatus": {
    "statusCode": 100,
    "statusDescription": "请求成功。",
    "responseDateTime": "2026-04-10T00:00:00Z",
    "dataTotalCount": 1,
    "requestParameter": ""
  },
  "data": "sample value"
}

HTTP status codes

Use the HTTP status code for transport-level handling. If the response body contains dataStatus.statusCode, treat it as an application-level status field in the JSON payload.

HTTP status	Meaning	Recommended handling
200	Request processed successfully.	Parse the documented response body for the endpoint result.
400	Invalid request parameters or request format.	Check required fields, data types, and request body format.
401	Missing or unknown application key.	Send a valid appkey with the request.
403	The application key is recognized but access is not allowed.	Check subscription, trial state, and endpoint access.
429	Request rate or trial usage limit exceeded.	Reduce concurrency or retry after the limit window resets.
500	Internal service error.	Retry later or contact support if the error persists.
503	Upstream service unavailable.	Retry later when the dependency is available again.

Implementation notes

• Validate required parameters before sending the request so 400 responses are easier to diagnose.
• Keep server-side retries conservative for 429, 500, and 503 responses.
• Cache stable metadata responses when your use case allows it, especially for lookup and directory endpoints.
• Log the HTTP status code and dataStatus.statusDescription together for easier debugging.
• Use the demo endpoint for a quick connectivity check, then switch to the authenticated endpoint for production data.

FAQ

Where is the official API detail page?

The official detail page is https://gugudata.io/details/chinesepoem. It is the best place to review the latest public endpoint information before publishing or integrating.

Should I handle dataStatus.statusCode as the HTTP status code?

No. Use the HTTP status code for request-level behavior such as authentication, permission, rate limiting, and server errors. Use dataStatus.statusCode only as the response body status field when it is present.

Can I use the demo endpoint in production?

No. The demo endpoint is for quick testing and examples. Use the authenticated endpoint with your appkey for production workflows.

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For more developer APIs, visit GuGuData.