إِذَا قَطَعَتْ وَصَلَتْ
When it pierces or separates, it also joins.
Qaṭaʿat means it cut or separated; waṣalat means it joined. A needle makes a puncture yet helps bring fabric together. The apparent contradiction is grounded in a real craft action.
This is a functional antithesis, not a random list of opposites. The two verbs are applied to the same object, forming part of the riddle that personifies the needle.
Semantic distinction exercise
What rhetorical relation links qaṭaʿat and waṣalat?
Opening interactive controls...
Lexical Polysemy and Wordplay — Applied Study of Ten Maqāmāt
إِذَا قَطَعَتْ وَصَلَتْ
When it pierces or separates, it also joins.
Qaṭaʿat means it cut or separated; waṣalat means it joined. A needle makes a puncture yet helps bring fabric together. The apparent contradiction is grounded in a real craft action.
This is a functional antithesis, not a random list of opposites. The two verbs are applied to the same object, forming part of the riddle that personifies the needle.
Semantic distinction exercise
What rhetorical relation links qaṭaʿat and waṣalat?