Comparison B etween “S imile”and “明喻”
西方语言学院
英教一班
2012061037
朱晶
Compariso n Between “Simile”and “明喻”
Abstract :
I write this paper to describe the comparison between “simile”and “明喻”. Firstly , I describe the use of simile . And then tell you the use of 明喻. At last , I compare “simile” with “明喻” and tell the differences between them .
Key words : simile ,明喻，difference , compare
The words “simile”derives from a Latin word “similis”, meaning “like” . In rhetoric , simile is a figure of speech by which two concepts or two dissimilar things are imaginatively and descriptively compared because they have at least one quality or characteristic in common or in resemblance . As one of the commonest figures of speech in English , its main function is to draw sharp pictures in the mind through comparisons , to give deeper insight into things , persons and ideas through suggestive association , or to explain abstract , complicated ideas in simple , concrete imagery .
Firstly , a simile should have the comparative words such as “like” , “as” , or “as if” and so on . Secondly , there should be two things involved in comparison --- the primary term ( tenor ) and the secondary term (vehicle ) . Then , the two things must be substantially different . Last but not the least , the two things should be similar in at least one quality .
Eg : (1)He is as cunning as a fox.
(2)The tiger is as brave as the lion.
A simile can be divided into three kinds : descriptive , illuminative and illustrative . Descriptive means that pure description of persons, things, natural scenery, and action has always been the chief use to which similes have been put. A good descriptive simile can draw sharper pictures in the mind than could possibly be done by any other means, and with much more brevity.
Eg : The moon was like a slender shaving thrown up from a bar of gold .
While the descriptive simile attempts to draw images of people, things, etc., through figurative comparison, the illuminative simile tries to give deeper insight into persons, things, ideas, even problems, through suggestive association; to throw light, as it were, onto what would otherwise be inconceivable to ordinary people.
Eg: He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.
Illustrative similes are relatively easy to understand as compared with the illuminative ones . They are often used in scientific , and technological writing .
Eg: The waves are like the people in a crowd going to a football match .
In a sentence of simile , you can use the following forms .
Like , as , as...as... , (as)...as... , may ( might ) as well...as... , as if ( as though ) , A is to B what C is to D , A does for B what C does to D , more...than... , remind of , compare ...to , resemble , be similar to , consider ...as , and so on .
明喻is similar to simile in the definition . Its basis form is “tenor + linking words +vehicle”. The linking words include 似,若,像,如,如同,好像,好比,…似的,…一样,…一般…,犹如,仿佛and so on . There are two cases of 明喻，central cases and marginal cases . Central cases have linking words . Let us see some examples .
Eg: (1) 问君能有几多愁，恰似一江春水向东流。

(2) 物价像吹断了线的风筝，又像得道成仙，平地飞升。

(3) 忠厚老实人的恶毒，像饭里的沙砾，或者出骨鱼片里未净的刺，会给人一种不期待的伤痛。

(4) 花似伊，柳似伊，花柳青春人别离。

玉如肌，柳如眉，爱著鹅黄金缕衣。

And the marginal cases are the sentences without linking words, and in the form of juxtaposition and couplet .
Eg : (1) 兵无常势，水无常形。

(2) 有鸡鸭的地方，粪多；有年轻女人的地方，笑多。

(3) 狡兔死，走狗烹；高鸟尽，良弓藏；敌国破，谋臣亡。

The differences between “simile”and “明喻”lie in several aspects .The first I think is the differences in tenor , which involves the differences in the number of the tenor and the differences in the speech (词性）of it . In my opinion , the next is the differences in the vehicle . What’s more , they have differences in structure .
The figure of speech “simile”in English is not totally equal to the figure of speech“明喻”in Chinese . They have many differences and they each have their own characters .。