Chiasmus

Chiasmus is a figure of speech based on inverted parallelism. It is a rhetorical figure in which two clauses are related to each another through a reversal of terms in order to make a larger point. In Latin in particular, it was used to articulate balance or order within the text in which it was included.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today, chiasmus is applied fairly broadly to any "criss-cross" structure, although in classical rhetoric, it would have been distinguished from other similar devices, especially antimetabole. In its classical application, chiasmus would have been used for structures that do not repeat the same words and phrases.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Figure of speech: A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetorical figure or device, or elocution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However, clarity may also suffer from their use....

Parallelism: Parallelism may refer to:...

Rhetorical figure: REDIRECT Rhetorical device...