Chiasmus

In rhetoric , chiasmus (from the , chiázō , "to shape like the letter Χ ") is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism . Chiasmus was particularly popular both in Greek and in Latin literature, where it was used to articulate balance or order within a text. As a popular example, the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible also contain many long and complex chiasmi. It is also used various times in the Book of Mormon . Today, chiasmus is applied fairly broadly to any "criss-cross" structure, although in classical rhetoric it was distinguished from other similar devices, such as the antimetabole . In its classical application, chiasmus would have been used for structures that do not repeat the same words and phrases, but invert a sentence's grammatical structure or ideas. The concept of chiasmus on a higher level, applied to motifs, turns of phrase, or whole passages, is called chiastic structure . The elements of a simple chiasmus are often labelled in the form A B B A, where the letters correspond to grammar , words, or meaning.

Chiasmus represented as an "X" structure. When read left to right, top to bottom, the first topic (A) is reiterated as the last, and the middle concept (B) appears twice in succession. In rhetoric , chiasmus (Latin term from Greek χίασμα, "crossing", from the Greek χιάζω, chiázō , "to shape like the letter Χ ") is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism . Chiasmus was particularly popular in the literature of the ancient world, including Hebrew , Greek , and Latin , where it was used to articulate the balance of order within the text. As a popular example, many long and complex chiasmi have been found in Shakespeare and the Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible . It is also found throughout the Book of Mormon . Today, chiasmus is applied fairly broadly to any "criss-cross" structure, although in classical rhetoric it was distinguished from other similar devices, such as the antimetabole . In its classical application, chiasmus would have been used for structures that do not repeat the same words and phrases, but invert a sentence's grammatical structure or ideas. The concept of chiasmus on a higher level, applied to motifs, turns of phrase, or whole passages, is called chiastic structure . The elements of simple chiasmus are often labelled in the form A B B A, where the letters correspond to grammar , words, or meaning. Kennedy said, "ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country ".

Reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases For application of chiasmus on larger scale structure, see chiastic structure . Chiasmus represented as an "X" structure. When read left to right, top to bottom, the first topic (A) is reiterated as the last, and the middle concept (B) appears twice in succession. In rhetoric , chiasmus or, less commonly, chiasm (Latin term from Greek χίασμα, "crossing", from the Greek χιάζω, chiázō , "to shape like the letter Χ ") is a "reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses – but no repetition of words". A similar device antimetabole , also involves a reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses, but unlike chiasmus, presents a repetition of words in an A-B-B-A configuration.

Reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases For a synonym of a genus of beetles, see Chiasmetes . Chiasmus represented as an "X" structure. When read left to right, top to bottom, the first topic (A) is reiterated as the last, and the middle concept (B) appears twice in succession. In rhetoric , chiasmus ( / k aɪ ˈ æ z m ə s / ky- AZ -məs ) or, less commonly, chiasm (Latin term from Greek χίασμα , "crossing", from the Greek χιάζω , chiázō , "to shape like the letter Χ "), is a "reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses – but no repetition of words". A similar device, antimetabole , also involves a reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses in an A-B-B-A configuration, but unlike chiasmus, presents a repetition of words.

Reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases For a synonym of a genus of beetles, see Chiasmetes . In rhetoric , chiasmus ( / k aɪ ˈ æ z m ə s / ky- AZ -məs ) or, less commonly, chiasm (Latin term from Greek χίασμα chiásma , "crossing", from the Greek χιάζω , chiázō , "to shape like the letter Χ "), is a "reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses – but no repetition of words". A similar device, antimetabole , also involves a reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses in an A-B-B-A configuration, but unlike chiasmus, presents a repetition of words.