LessonsImplicit and Imaginative Metaphor: Definitions, Core Examples, and AnalysisQuiz

فلا يصرح بشيء من أركانه سوى المشبه
None of its components is openly stated except the target of comparison.

The components are the target, source, shared feature, and comparative particle. In “the claws of death,” “death” is stated as the target; the wording does not say “like a predator,” naming neither the source in the form of a simile nor its comparative particle.

Mentioning “claws” does not contradict the definition. “Claws” is not the explicit name of the comparison source, but a characteristic that points to it. An overtly named component must be distinguished from an indirect signal through an attribute.

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Only the target is explicitly stated

Implicit and Imaginative Metaphor: Definitions, Core Examples, and Analysis

فلا يصرح بشيء من أركانه سوى المشبه
None of its components is openly stated except the target of comparison.

The components are the target, source, shared feature, and comparative particle. In “the claws of death,” “death” is stated as the target; the wording does not say “like a predator,” naming neither the source in the form of a simile nor its comparative particle.

Mentioning “claws” does not contradict the definition. “Claws” is not the explicit name of the comparison source, but a characteristic that points to it. An overtly named component must be distinguished from an indirect signal through an attribute.