LessonsCompound Figurative Language, Representative Metaphor, and ProverbsQuiz

فهو اللفظ المستعمل فيما شبه بمعناه الأصلي
It is an expression used for something resembling its original meaning.

Here “expression” can mean a complete construction, rather than one isolated word. Its original meaning is the state of affairs ordinarily conveyed by the whole expression; in another context the utterance may represent a similar state of affairs.

This formulation particularly suits representative metaphor (istiʿārah tamthīliyyah). A further question arises in the commentary: not every figurative use of a compound is based on resemblance, so a resemblance-based formulation cannot automatically exhaust the wider genus.

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The definition and the scope of “expression”

Compound Figurative Language, Representative Metaphor, and Proverbs

فهو اللفظ المستعمل فيما شبه بمعناه الأصلي
It is an expression used for something resembling its original meaning.

Here “expression” can mean a complete construction, rather than one isolated word. Its original meaning is the state of affairs ordinarily conveyed by the whole expression; in another context the utterance may represent a similar state of affairs.

This formulation particularly suits representative metaphor (istiʿārah tamthīliyyah). A further question arises in the commentary: not every figurative use of a compound is based on resemblance, so a resemblance-based formulation cannot automatically exhaust the wider genus.