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比喻 — meaning in English

bǐ yù

Chinese → English · translate English → Chinese instead

English meaning

  • figurative adj Using words in a non-literal, symbolic way, such as through metaphor or simile, rather than their exact meaning.
  • liken verb Followed by to or (archaic) unto: to regard or state that (someone or something) is like another person or thing; to compare.
  • metaphorical adj Relating to or using metaphor; figurative rather than literal.
  • simile noun A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using a linking word such as 'like' or 'as', in order to make a description more vivid.
  • trope noun A recurring device, theme or cliché in storytelling — the plucky orphan, the last-minute dash to the airport.

Senses

比喻 is used for these senses in English:

  • figurative Of use as a metaphor, simile, metonym or other figure of speech, as opposed to literal; using figures.
  • liken Followed by to or (archaic) unto: to regard or state that (someone or something) is like another person or thing; to compare.
  • metaphorical Pertaining to or characterized by a metaphor; figurative; symbolic.
  • simile A figure of speech in which one thing is explicitly compared to another, using e.g. like or as.
  • trope (rhetoric) A figure of speech in which words or phrases are used with a nonliteral or figurative meaning, such as a metaphor.

figurative — full definition

  1. adj Using words in a non-literal, symbolic way, such as through metaphor or simile, rather than their exact meaning.
  2. adj In art, representing recognizable, lifelike forms rather than pure abstraction.

liken — full definition

  1. verb Followed by to or (archaic) unto: to regard or state that (someone or something) is like another person or thing; to compare.
  2. verb Chiefly followed by to: to make (oneself, someone, or something) resemble another person or thing.
  3. verb To represent or symbolize (something).
  4. verb Followed by to: to be like or resemble; also, to become like.

Related Chinese words