Parallel, metaphor, exaggeration, questioning, intertextuality, repetition
Two rabbits walking beside each other can tell whether I am male or female
On "Mulan Poetry" 》Rhetorical Beauty
Mulan Poems
Northern Dynasty Yuefu Folk Songs
The chirping repeats, Mulan is woven in every household. I didn't hear the sound of the crowbar, but I heard the woman sighing.
Ask your daughter what she is thinking about, and ask her what she is remembering. The woman has nothing to think about, and the woman has nothing to remember. Last night I saw the military post (tiè), the Khan ordered the troops, and there were twelve volumes of military books, each with his name on it. My grandfather has no eldest son, and Mulan has no elder brother. I am willing to saddle the horse for the city, and from now on I will fight for my grandfather.
You can buy horses in the east market, saddles and tacks (ān jiān) in the west market, bridles (pèi tóu) in the south market, and long whips in the north market.
I bid farewell to my mother-in-law in the morning and stayed by the Yellow River in the evening. I didn't hear my mother-in-law calling for a girl, but I heard the sound of the Yellow River water splashing. I left the Yellow River in the morning and arrived at the top of the Black Mountain in the evening. I didn't hear the mother-in-law's voice calling the girl, but I heard the chirping of the wild horse in Yanshan Mountain.
Traveling thousands of miles to join the army, you can fly through mountains and mountains. The new energy spreads to the golden watch (jīntuò), and the cold light shines on the iron clothes. A general will die in a hundred battles, and a strong man will return after ten years.
Return to see the emperor, who is sitting in the bright hall. Twelve rounds of Ce Xun will reward hundreds of strong men. The Khan asked what he wanted, but Mulan didn't need Shangshu Lang. I am willing to travel thousands of miles to send my son back to his hometown.
When the mother-in-law heard that her daughter was coming, she went out to help the general (jiāng); when the elder sister (zǐ) heard that her sister was coming, she was in charge of doing the red makeup; when the younger brother heard that his sister was coming, he sharpened his knife and went to the pigs and sheep. Open the door of my east pavilion, sit on my bed in the west pavilion, take off my war-time robe, put on my old clothes, go to the window to trim my hair, and look into the mirror with flower paste. When I went out to see my friends, they were all frightened: they had been together for twelve years, but they didn't know Mulan was a girl.
The male rabbit’s feet are twitching, and the female rabbit’s eyes are blurry; two rabbits are walking next to each other, how can they tell whether I am male or female?
"Mulan Poetry" is a representative work of Yuefu folk songs in the Northern Dynasties and an outstanding narrative poem of ancient Chinese poetry. The poem reflects the virtues of ancient working women who are diligent, intelligent, understanding of righteousness, and disinterested in glory and gain by narrating the story of Mulan serving in the army on behalf of her father. In Mulan, love for the country and affection for relatives are intertwined. She is a symbolic heroine of the Chinese nation and a working woman full of humanity. This poem also displays superb aesthetic artistry, which mainly stems from the use of rhetorical techniques. Let’s talk about the use of rhetorical techniques and aesthetic effects.
1. The beauty of asking questions
Tan Yongxiang said in "Chinese Rhetorical Aesthetics": "Ask questions yourself, answer them yourself, or just ask without answering. This rhetorical technique is called asking questions. "The aesthetic effect is to attract people's attention, inspire people to think, generate strong desire, or enhance the power of writing and improve artistic sense. In "Mulan Poems", the four sentences "Ask the girl what she thinks about? Ask the girl what she remembers? The girl thinks nothing, the girl remembers nothing" uses the rhetorical technique of questioning. The poet uses the rhetorical technique of asking questions, which not only introduces the conscription, attracts readers' attention, and causes readers to think why Mulan sighed, but also adds a strong human touch to the poem through this question and answer.
2. The beauty of repetition
Repetition is to express strong emotions and firm will, repeating the same word or sentence over and over again to strengthen the meaning of the word. a rhetorical device. Its aesthetic effect mainly lies in emphasizing, strengthening the sense of rhythm, enhancing appeal and improving the expression effect. In "Poetry of Mulan", "Ask the daughter what she is thinking? Ask the daughter what she remembers?" uses repeated rhetorical techniques to show that the mother-in-law is eager to find out what is on her daughter's mind and asks her questions continuously. The mother's concern for her daughter also shows the daughter's love for her father-in-law and mother-in-law, making the poem more humane and paving the way for her father to join the army later.
3. The beauty of metaphor
In poetry, the poet uses metaphors in metaphors. The so-called metonymy means that the ontology and the metaphor do not appear, and the metaphor is directly used to refer to the ontology. Its aesthetic effect is implicit and implicit, which makes the poem more interesting and the meaning more profound. In "Poetry of Mulan", the last paragraph uses metaphors (metonymy), "The male rabbit's feet are twitching, and the female rabbit's eyes are blurred; two rabbits are walking next to each other, how can they tell whether I am male or female?" The poet borrows the idea that rabbits cannot tell whether they are male or female. , it is a metaphor that Mulan’s gender is difficult to distinguish after she disguises herself. In this way, it not only shows Mulan's simplicity and wit, but also adds humorous interest to the poem.
4. The beauty of parallelism
In rhetoric, the structures are the same or similar. A rhetorical device in which three or more sentences or sentence components with a consistent tone and related meaning are arranged side by side. Its aesthetic effect is to strengthen the momentum of speech, emphasize the content, deepen feelings, etc. In "Mulan Poetry", in the four sentences "Buy horses in the east market, buy saddles in the west market, buy bridles in the south market, and buy whips in the north market", the poet uses parallelism to list the four directions of east, west, north, south, and express many places. meaning. In this way, through arrangement, it not only creates a military emergency and sets up a busy atmosphere, but also makes Mulan's story unfold in a tense battle atmosphere, thus enhancing the appeal of the poem. Another example is, "When the mother-in-law heard that her daughter was coming, she went out to help the general; when the sister heard that the sister was coming, she was responsible for the red makeup; when the younger brother heard that the sister was coming, he sharpened his knife to the pigs and sheep." The poet also used the rhetorical technique of parallelism.
Through parallelism, it not only shows the mood of family reunion and depicts the scene of joyful gathering, but also gives the poem a lively and jumping beauty, and echoes "My father has no eldest son, and Mulan has no eldest brother. I am willing to be the market pommel horse, and from now on I will replace you." The family feeling of "ye Zheng".
5. The Beauty of Exaggeration
In rhetoric, the author consciously expands or shrinks the exaggerated description of objective things in order to emphasize and highlight their essential characteristics. A rhetorical technique called hyperbole. Its aesthetic effect is to highlight the essence of things, attract readers' attention, and emphasize the author's emotions. In "Mulan Poetry", "Twelve volumes of military books, each with the name of the father." The poet used exaggeration to highlight the urgency of the military situation and the pressing situation, indicating that it was inevitable to be conscripted into the army, and made a contribution for Mulan to join the army on behalf of her father. bedding. Another example is, "Twelve rounds of service will reward hundreds of talents." The poet used exaggeration to show the specialness of Mulan's achievements and the generous reward from the emperor, thereby emphasizing Mulan's noble sentiments that are not burdened by fame and wealth, and at the same time reflecting Mulan's Simple and kind nature.