Metaphor

=**What is a metaphor and how does it advance literary thinking?**=

=**What are the elements in a metaphor?**= Structurally, metaphors can be organized into three key elements: a topic, a vehicle, and a ground (Richards, 1936). The topic is the stem to be clarified or amplified in the metaphor; the vehicle is that which is known; and the shared or common attribute is the ground. Individuals undersatnd a metaphor when their shared experiences with the vehicle are somehow compared with these associated with the topic. To illustrate, consider the following passage by the American author, Annie Dillard, describing the writing process: "The line of words is a fiber optic, flexible as wire; it illuminates a path just before its fragile tip. You probe with it, delicate as a worm" (p. 7). In this case, "the line of words" is the topic and "a fiber optic" is the vehicle. The ground, in turn, is made up of the shared attributes of flexibility and illumination. As the reader abstracts and reflects upon these qualities, an insight into the writing process occurs.

=**Here are some famous metaphors.**=

Time is money.

Umbrella and metaphorical meaning in China []

China is a sleeping dragon. When she wakes, the world will shake. Napoleon Bonaparte

= = =**How does the metaphor fit with other examples of figurative language?**= Go to: []

=Metaphor of the True Story oh Ah Q=
 * [[image:http://history.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/upfiles/2010-01/06/detailsd9960e67fdfc25efab6d.jpg width="470" caption="external image detailsd9960e67fdfc25efab6d.jpg"]]*|| [[image:http://history.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/standard/2010-01/06/the_true_story_of_ah_q__a_masterpiece_of_modern_chinese_literatureacb9c3d5702a2e9bfbe5.jpg width="180" caption="The True Story of Ah Q - A Masterpiece of Modern Chinese Literature" link="http://history.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/upfiles/2010-01/06/the_true_story_of_ah_q__a_masterpiece_of_modern_chinese_literaturea7ee49e08bbc0fca689c.jpg"]] ||
 * The True Story of Ah Q - A Masterpiece of Modern Chinese Literature ||

=The True Story of Ah Q - A Masterpiece of Modern Chinese Literature=

The True Story of Ah Q (阿Q正传), is a short episodic novella written by Lu Xun, first published periodically between December 4, 1921 and February 12, 1922. It was later collected in his first short story collection Call to Arms (呐喊) in 1923. It is the longest of the stories in the collection. The piece is generally held to be a masterpiece of modern Chinese literature, since it is considered the first piece of work fully to utilize Vernacular Chinese after the 1919 May 4th Movement in China.


 * In Chapter One, the author claims ironically that he could not recall nor verify Ah Q's correct name, a claim that gives the character symbolic anonymity. "Ah" (阿) in Chinese is an diminutive prefix for names. "Q" is short for "Quei 媯," Lu Xun's romanization of what would today be romanized in Hanyu Pinyin as "Guī." However, as there are many characters that are pronounced "quei," the narrator claims he does not know which character he should use, and therefore shortens it to "Q." The deliberate use of a Western letter instead of a Chinese character is a reference to the concepts of the May Fourth movement, which advocated adoption of Western ideas. Another like theory regarding the use of the letter Q, is its aural similarity to 'queue', the Manchu hairstyle which all men in Qing Dynasty China were forced to wear, and which most cut off after the republic was established as a symbol of protest. ||
 * In Chapter One, the author claims ironically that he could not recall nor verify Ah Q's correct name, a claim that gives the character symbolic anonymity. "Ah" (阿) in Chinese is an diminutive prefix for names. "Q" is short for "Quei 媯," Lu Xun's romanization of what would today be romanized in Hanyu Pinyin as "Guī." However, as there are many characters that are pronounced "quei," the narrator claims he does not know which character he should use, and therefore shortens it to "Q." The deliberate use of a Western letter instead of a Chinese character is a reference to the concepts of the May Fourth movement, which advocated adoption of Western ideas. Another like theory regarding the use of the letter Q, is its aural similarity to 'queue', the Manchu hairstyle which all men in Qing Dynasty China were forced to wear, and which most cut off after the republic was established as a symbol of protest. ||