In kinayah of an attribute, the referent is understood while a quality is expressed indirectly through its familiar sign or consequence. «طويل النجاد» points to tallness and «كثير الرماد» to generosity.
This is distinct from straightforward predication. «رَجُلٌ طَوِيلٌ» directly calls a man tall; «طويل النجاد» employs the length of another object as the indicator.
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Kinayah: Definition, Types and Rhetorical Modes
In kinayah of an attribute, the referent is understood while a quality is expressed indirectly through its familiar sign or consequence. «طويل النجاد» points to tallness and «كثير الرماد» to generosity.
This is distinct from straightforward predication. «رَجُلٌ طَوِيلٌ» directly calls a man tall; «طويل النجاد» employs the length of another object as the indicator.