Choose your topic. Jintishi peaked in popularity during the Tang Dynasty, and its themes were often political or philosophical in nature. Many jintishis heavily employed the literary technique of allusion. Consider incorporating these elements for a classically styled jintishi poem.
Set your scene. As the jintishi is based on tonal balance, ensure balance in your writing environment. Be free of distraction and clear-headed as you prepare to write.
Compose your first two-line couplet. This couplet's tone must express ping, the level tone in Middle Chinese pronunciation or the first and second tone in modern standard Chinese.
Compose the second couplet, which must express shang, the falling-rising tone. Shang is equivalent to the third tone in modern standard Chinese pronunciation. According to jintishi form, this couplet must contain parallelism in its lines. To achieve parallelism, the two lines in the couplet must contrast in content but share a similar grammatical relationship.
Compose the third couplet, referred to as the "departing" couplet. Bear in mind that this couplet must also express parallelism in its two lines. Tonally, this couplet must express qu, the falling tone in Middle Chinese, or the fourth tone in modern standard Chinese.
Compose your fourth and final couplet, which expresses ru, the "entering" tone. Ru is pronounced in a short and abrupt manner, which makes it very apt to end your jintishi. There is no equivalent to the "entering" tone in Mandarin Chinese.
Read your poem aloud. Reciting your poem out loud is the only way to discover the tonal balance required by a jintishi poem. Edit, re-read and re-draft your jintishi until the tones of your poem have achieved the essential balance of the four tones of Middle Chinese.