Compare two ways to describe someone's courage:
“Fulān asad” — “that man is a lion.” The context excludes an actual animal; bravery is conveyed through resemblance.
“Fulān lā yahābu liqāʾa al-ʿaduww” — “he does not fear meeting the enemy.” The statement can indicate bravery as a concomitant without excluding the literal act described.
Both express courage, yet the first transfers “lion” to a human referent, while the second mentions a trait or behavior from which courage is inferred.
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Kināyah: Definition, Implication, Literal Meaning, and Its Difference from Majāz
Compare two ways to describe someone's courage:
“Fulān asad” — “that man is a lion.” The context excludes an actual animal; bravery is conveyed through resemblance.
“Fulān lā yahābu liqāʾa al-ʿaduww” — “he does not fear meeting the enemy.” The statement can indicate bravery as a concomitant without excluding the literal act described.
Both express courage, yet the first transfers “lion” to a human referent, while the second mentions a trait or behavior from which courage is inferred.