Chiasmus

Chiasmus is a rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect.

Chiasmus is a special form of parallelism that flips the original form around.

Ex: It is completely human to err, but to forgive is divine.

Revision: To err is human, to forgive divine.

Chiasmus is really to express one main point and then express that same point as if it's a completely different matter. This can further impact the statement one is making.

Dr. Seuss expresses chiasmus in a famous quote of his.

Ex: Those who matter don't mind and those who mind won't matter.

Chiasmus come from the Greek work chi meaning X. This is because of the method one can use to preform chiasmus the right way.

Ex: Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.

Revision: never let a kiss fool you or a fool kiss you.

Made with Adobe Slate

Make your words and images move.

Get Slate

Report Abuse

If you feel that this video content violates the Adobe Terms of Use, you may report this content by filling out this quick form.

To report a Copyright Violation, please follow Section 17 in the Terms of Use.