Definition

Noun: A rhetorical or literary figure in which the order of words in one of two parallel clauses is inverted in the other. This creates a criss-cross structure, often used for emphasis, contrast, or artistic effect.

Usage

This word is a specific term used in the analysis of rhetoric, literature, and speechwriting. It describes a deliberate stylistic pattern. It is typically used as a countable noun (e.g., "a chiasmus," "several chiasmi" or more commonly "chiasmuses").

Examples

• The famous quote "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country" is a classic chiasmus.
• The poet used a chiasmus to create a memorable and balanced line: "By day the frolic, and the dance by night."
• The structure "He went to the city; to the country went she" is an example of chiasmus.

Advanced Usage

• Extended Chiasmus: The pattern can extend beyond simple clauses to structure entire passages or arguments, where themes or ideas are presented and then revisited in reverse order.
• Chiasmus vs. Antimetabole: Often confused. Antimetabole is a specific type of chiasmus where the exact words are repeated in reverse order (e.g., "When the going gets tough, the tough get going"). Chiasmus can involve the reversal of grammatical structures or related concepts, not necessarily the same exact words.

Variants and Related Words

• Chiasmic (adj): Having the nature or form of a chiasmus.
  • The sentence's chiasmic structure made it particularly elegant.
• Chiastic (adj): An alternative adjective form meaning the same as "chiasmic."
• Antimetabole (n): A subtype of chiasmus involving the repetition of words in reverse order.

Synonyms

• Inversion
• Reversal (of order)
• Criss-cross structure

Related Idioms or Phrases

• Chiastic structure: A common phrase in literary analysis referring to a passage organized according to the principles of chiasmus (A, B, C... C', B', A').
  • The chapter's chiastic structure highlights the central theme at its midpoint.

Noun

1. inversion in the second of two parallel phrases