في الحمام أسد
There is a lion in the bathhouse.
When context identifies a brave man as the referent, “asad,” the comparison source, is openly stated while the human target is not named. This is the structure of explicit metaphor (istiʿārah taṣrīḥiyyah).
The words alone cannot establish whether an actual animal is present. Context and the speaker's intention establish whether “lion” has been transferred to a human being because of courage.
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Definitions of Literal and Figurative Use and the Technical Divisions of Metaphor
في الحمام أسد
There is a lion in the bathhouse.
When context identifies a brave man as the referent, “asad,” the comparison source, is openly stated while the human target is not named. This is the structure of explicit metaphor (istiʿārah taṣrīḥiyyah).
The words alone cannot establish whether an actual animal is present. Context and the speaker's intention establish whether “lion” has been transferred to a human being because of courage.