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Glite Dictionary
chiasmus

chiasmus

1 9.9
A sentence that repeats words or ideas in reverse order to make a point
  • noun
  • /kaɪˈæzməs/
  • Literature
: quiasmo
  • One example of chiasmus is the phrase, 'Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you.'
  • chiasmus and antimetabole
  • structure of chiasmus

And that seems like a very nice chiasmus and it's very poetic and it's catchy.

Examples

  • "Here is one of my favorites employing chiasmus: 'If you keep thy shop, thy shop will keep thee.'"

    Academic text (1997)

  • Shakespeare likewise employs chiasmus to express questions about justice and mercy.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Ask not what you can do for chiasmus, then: ask what chiasmus can do for you.

    Blog text (25)

  • To this end, I first consider some of the ways chiasmus has been employed.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Recently, Kenneth Burke has similarly employed chiasmus to stimulate thought.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Sometimes, however, amplification of a Shakespearean chiasmus may occur just for the humor or to expand on a theme.

    Academic text (2001)

  • What Parker calls "initiating" or "capping" expressions sometimes take the form of chiasmus.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Shakespeare uses repetitive and pleonastic chiasmus as well to reinforce or suggest the strength of belief.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Along with display, memorability proves a primary motive for chiasmus in forms ranging from aphorisms to advertisements.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Trying to preclude Isabella's charge, Angelo introduces the first half of a chiasmus that Isabella completes in rebuttal and attestation.

    Academic text (2001)

Surface Forms

chiasmus singular
chiasmi plural

Etymology

Chiasmus comes from Greek: the letter chi looks like an 'X' and the word chiasma means 'cross' or 'crossing'. So a chiasmus is a sentence where parts 'cross' over each other in reverse order, which is why it means a reversal of structure.