LessonsDefining Majāz and Kināyah: Excluding Clues and the Transition to SimileQuiz

فانحصر المقصود من علم البيان في الثلاثة
Thus the principal subjects of ʿilm al-bayān are these three.

1. Tashbīh (simile): Establishing resemblance between two things, including the component roles and comparative forms.
2. Majāz (figurative usage): Intending a connected nonliteral meaning where a clue excludes literal intention.
3. Kināyah (allusion): Reaching a connected intended sense while the original literal intention remains possible.

These divisions organize the central concerns of bayān. Earlier analysis of indication continues to help explain their operation, even as each receives more detailed treatment.

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Three major topics in ʿilm al-bayān

Defining Majāz and Kināyah: Excluding Clues and the Transition to Simile

فانحصر المقصود من علم البيان في الثلاثة
Thus the principal subjects of ʿilm al-bayān are these three.

1. Tashbīh (simile): Establishing resemblance between two things, including the component roles and comparative forms.
2. Majāz (figurative usage): Intending a connected nonliteral meaning where a clue excludes literal intention.
3. Kināyah (allusion): Reaching a connected intended sense while the original literal intention remains possible.

These divisions organize the central concerns of bayān. Earlier analysis of indication continues to help explain their operation, even as each receives more detailed treatment.