In the study of traditional Chinese music, although rhythm has received considerable attention in research on certain musical genres, it remains an underdeveloped area overall. Based on the author's previous research on rhythmic structures in Chinese percussion music, this paper expands the scope to melodic music, analyzing the rhythmic structures of prevalent traditional music pieces, as well as newly composed works that retain strong traditional musical styles. The analysis adopts two conceptual approaches—“numerical rhythmic patterns” and “beat-count rhythmic patterns”—to reveal the “numerical-sequence” and “poetric feet” characteristics represented by the 1, 3, 5, 7 progressions in the rhythmic construction of traditional Chinese music. The study further explains the relationship between these features and the metrical structure of Chinese poetry as well as the psychological formation of rhythm among Chinese people. This paper represents a preliminary attempt in this area of research; further expansion of the repertoire analyzed will lead to more comprehensive findings in the future.