Chapter 5: Cohesive Forms: Anadiplosis
Section 1: Anadiplosis
I. Definition and Function of Anadiplosis
In poetry and verse, the ways of connecting sentences include, in addition to “upper-to-lower linkage” (anadiplosis), also “repetition of the same word” (reduplication), “parallel arrangement of identical forms” (parallelism), “layered progressive linkage” (gradation), and “circular repetitive chanting” (palindromic structure). Among these forms, anadiplosis—characterized by “continuous linking from head to tail, upper-to-lower connection”—uses the final word or phrase of each line as the opening words of the next line, or the final sentence of each stanza as the opening sentence of the next stanza. It becomes a bridge for poetic transition and a bond for emotional development. This form of “overlapping transition” in cohesion is the most meticulously structured.
“Anadiplosis,” also called “chain repetition” or “linked pearls,” is “a closely connected structural condition that uses identical characters, words, or sentences, producing a formal pattern of leading forward and linking backward, with continuous head-to-tail chaining and interlocking connections.”¹ It is “a rhetorical method in which the vocabulary at the end of the previous sentence is used as the beginning of the next sentence, creating an aesthetic effect of continuity between adjacent sentences through the repetition of the same lexical item.”²
To employ anadiplosis, one must first clearly understand the relationships among the various things being expressed, and then organize and arrange them skillfully. “The use of anadiplosis not only makes sentence structures neat and semantic flow coherent, but also highlights the organic interconnections among things that are tightly linked like chains.”³ Secondly, the conceptual meaning of the linking phrases or sentences between upper and lower segments must be identical. In addition, it must be used according to content requirements; it must not be employed merely for formal effect, otherwise it becomes a hollow linguistic game.
In poetry, the use of anadiplosis can produce the following rhetorical effects: (1) it makes meaning tightly structured and poetic lines clearly organized, reflecting organic connections among images; (2) “sentence-generating-from-sentence,” which produces a continuous and repetitive rhythmic beauty. “Sentence-generating-from-sentence” is often used for “acoustic effect” (cyclical repetition), and secondly for “strengthening emphasis.” When used naturally, it can make the flow of imagery smoother.⁴
II. Historical Development of Anadiplosis
The “anadiplosis pattern” can be traced back as far as the Book of Songs, such as “Daya: Wen Wang” and “Daya: Ji Zui,” which employ stanza-level anadiplosis.
This rhetorical technique of “linking tail to head, continuous chaining” was first explicitly discussed by Fu Xuan of the Western Jin Dynasty, who in the Preface to Linked Pearls referred to it as “linked pearls”: “As orderly as pearls strung together, easy to observe and pleasing to the eye, therefore it is called linked pearls.”
In classical poetry, examples of anadiplosis are abundant. For example, in the ancient Yuefu poem “Mulan Ci”: “The general dies in a hundred battles, the warrior returns after ten years. Returning, they meet the Son of Heaven; the Son of Heaven sits in the Bright Hall.”
Another example is Cai Yong’s “Drinking Horses at the Great Wall Grotto”: “Green green grass by the riverbank, continuous longing for distant journeys. Distant journeys cannot be thought of; in former nights I saw them in dreams. In dreams I saw them beside me, suddenly I realized I was in another land. In another land, each place is different; turning and turning, we cannot meet. Withered mulberry trees know the wind of heaven; the sea waters know the cold of heaven. Entering the house, each one is charming; who is willing to speak for one another? A guest comes from afar, bringing me two carp. I call the child to cook the carp; inside is a foot-long silk letter. Kneeling, I read the letter; what does it say? Above it says: take more food; below it says: always think of you.”
During the Tang Dynasty, regulated verse reached unprecedented flourishing, and the use of anadiplosis in poetry was extremely common. For example, Li Bai’s “Song of White Clouds”: “Mountains of Chu and Qin are all white clouds; white clouds everywhere always follow you. Always follow you; you enter the mountains of Chu, and the clouds also follow you across the Xiang River. On the Xiang River, vine plants clothe you; white clouds can be your bed, return early.” In “Seeing Off Secretary Shu Yun at Xie Tiao Tower in Xuanzhou,” the line “Drawing a sword to cut water, water flows even more; raising a cup to dispel sorrow, sorrow becomes even stronger” is a timeless and forceful example of anadiplosis with striking rhetorical power. Another example is Cen Shen’s “Night Gathering with Various Judges at Liangzhou Pavilion”: “The curved moon rises and hangs above the city; above the city the moon illuminates Liangzhou. In Liangzhou, seventy thousand households; half of the Hu people know how to play the pipa. One pipa melody breaks the heart; the wind sighs and the night is long.” Jin Changxu’s “Spring Grievance”: “Strike away the yellow oriole; do not let it sing on the branch. When it sings, it disturbs my dream; I cannot reach Liaoxi.” All of these are widely celebrated.
Song dynasty ci poetry is no less remarkable. For example, Ouyang Xiu’s “Butterflies in Love with Flowers”: “How deep is the courtyard, how deep is it? Willows pile like mist; curtains are layered without number. Places of wandering with jade bridles and carved saddles; from the high tower one cannot see Zhangtai Road. Rain slants and wind rages in late March; doors are closed at dusk, unable to retain spring. Tearful eyes ask flowers, but flowers do not speak; scattered red petals fly past the swing.” In the line “How deep is the courtyard, how deep is it?”, there are both reduplication and anadiplosis. The repeated “deep deep” is reduplication, extending syllables and suggesting a deep yet desolate courtyard; “how deep” uses “deep” as a linking device, forming anadiplosis. In “tearful eyes ask flowers, flowers do not speak,” “flowers” shifts from object in the first clause to subject in the second, forming intra-sentence anadiplosis.⁵
Section Two: Aesthetic of Formal Structure in Chain Repetition
Chain repetition (dingzhen) refers to the phenomenon in which the final word or clause of a preceding sentence becomes the initial word or clause of the following sentence. It forms a head-to-tail continuity, creating upward and downward semantic linkage, and allowing meaning, reasoning, and emotional logic to progress layer by layer. At the same time, in discourse segments it produces a rhythmic aesthetic characterized by forward-moving repetition.⁶
The structural form of chain repetition is a cyclical combination of “head-to-tail repeated linkage” and “progression.” In terms of rhythm, its phonetic sequence can be represented as “AB–BC–CD–DE,” in which alternating repetition of similar and different phonetic qualities produces a cyclical, interlocking rhythmic beauty with strong syllabic rotation. In terms of meaning, the tone of each preceding and following sentence is connected, and semantic content is closely interrelated, advancing layer by layer.
Section Three: Structural Form of Chain Repetition
Chain repetition formally appears as: the final character of the preceding sentence becomes the initial character of the following sentence; the final sentence of a preceding section becomes the opening sentence of the next section. In this way, sentences are closely linked, mutually extending and leading one another, forming an “upward and downward connection,” and generating meaning through sentence succession.
The structural form of chain repetition is divided into two parts:
(1) Linking words: between sentences, partial repetition of final characters or phrases is used as a means of connecting meaning and rhythm. The author refers to this as “linking words.”
(2) Progressive chain: using linking words in pairs as structural links, synonymous and antonymous expressions are connected to produce layered semantic advancement. The author refers to this as a “progressive chain.”
Section Four: Manifestational Forms of Chain Repetition
Chain repetition has multiple classification standards. In terms of external form, it is divided into: “intra-sentence chain repetition,” “linked-pearl chain repetition,” and “continuous chain repetition.” In terms of semantic relations of content, it is divided into “continuation relation,” “conditional relation,” “causal relation,” and “leap relation.”⁷ Furthermore, chain repetition is often used together with other rhetorical devices such as gradation, circular structure, parallelism, antithesis, and metaphor, forming “combined stylistic forms.”⁸ The poetic examples cited by the author use formal classification as one axis and semantic relation as another, in order to achieve clarity of structure and systematic organization.
- Intra-sentence Chain Repetition
This refers to the use of phrases or short expressions to create chain linkage within a single sentence. The phenomenon of upward and downward connection is completed within one sentence. It appears to involve repetition, but in fact the repeated character is syntactically differentiated.⁹
Zhang Cuo, “Knife of Broken Dreams”¹⁰
Rumors have long existed in the rivers and lakes,
breaking souls is easy, breaking hearts is difficult,
breaking hearts is difficult,
breaking dreams is even more difficult.
This section originally contained two sets of intra-sentence chain repetition (namely “breaking” and “breaking hearts is difficult”). In order to vary rhythm slightly, the poet deliberately divided the third line into two phrases. These three poetic lines connect the three images of “soul,” “heart,” and “dream” through two interlocking chain links, producing a rhythmic and elegant flow. The reader can feel the martial tenderness of “soul-entwining and dream-bound emotion.”
Guan Guan, “Spring is like you you are like smoke smoke is like me me is like spring”¹¹
Spring is like you you are like pear blossom pear blossom is like apricot blossom apricot blossom is like peach blossom peach blossom is like your face face is like rouge rouge is like earth earth is like sky sky is like your eyes eyes are like river river is like your song song is like willow willow is like your hands hands are like wind wind is like cloud cloud is like your hair hair is like flying flowers flying flowers are like swallows swallows are like you you are like skylark skylark is like kite kite is like you you are like smoke smoke is like me me is like you you are like spring
This poetic passage uses simile as its basic structure and adopts the form of intra-sentence chain repetition, creating continuous upward and downward linkage throughout. It requires considerable breath capacity to read it in one continuous flow. Spring first revolves around “you,” using abundant similes to describe various aspects of your presence. The imagery includes “pear, apricot, peach blossom,” “face,” “rouge,” “sky,” “eyes,” “river,” “song,” “willow,” “hands,” “wind,” “cloud,” “hair,” “flying flowers,” “swallow,” “skylark,” “kite,” and “smoke.” These images are roughly categorized into five groups: face, eyes, hands, hair, and “you,” each containing multiple sub-images for visualization.
(1) Face: “pear, apricot, peach blossom,” “rouge”
(2) Eyes: “sky,” “river,” “song”
(3) Hands: “willow,” “wind”
(4) Hair: “cloud,” “flying flowers”
(5) You: “spring,” “swallow,” “skylark,” “kite,” “smoke”
This kind of “classification combination” is not entirely random. It cannot fundamentally be regarded as the “automatic writing” advocated by surrealists. At the end of the passage, a palindromic structure is used to echo the beginning of the passage, forming a striking and ingenious composition.
Yu Guangzhong, “The Prodigal Returns”¹²
Gulangyu, the prodigal who drifted away with the waves
On Qingming Festival, finally there is a shore to turn back toward
In the line “Gulangyu, the prodigal who drifted away with the waves,” what appears to be chain repetition is in fact an “echoing repetition” structure. “Echoing repetition” refers to a rhetorical device in which the same word is used at corresponding positions within a sentence to express opposing, complementary, or mutually reflecting meanings.¹³ Here, “drift with the waves” forms a repeated phrase, producing structural echoing. Its structure resembles the opening line of Li Bai’s “Climbing Phoenix Terrace in Jinling”: “On Phoenix Terrace, phoenixes once roamed,” enhancing rhythmic force.
The prodigal “drifting away with the waves” leads to the condition of “having a shore to return to.” A causal relationship exists between these two lines: cause and result.
- Linked-Pearl Chain Repetition
Chain repetition between sentences occurs when the final word of one sentence and the initial word of the next sentence are identical.
For example, in “Records of the Peach Blossom Spring”:
“Going forward, wanting to reach the forest. The forest ends and the river source appears; then one encounters a mountain. The mountain has a small opening, faintly as if there is light.”
In this example, the words “forest” and “mountain” respectively create direct continuity between sentences, producing smooth and coherent flow, revealing the journey to the Peach Blossom Spring with a brisk sense of movement.
In modern poetry, linked-pearl chain repetition is frequently employed by poets as a form of generative writing—“sentences generated from sentences.”
Xiao Xiao, “Red Dust Wilderness”¹⁴
All footprints follow the wind
All wind follows memory
All memory is like past footprints meeting a gust of wind
Passing fiercely by
——leaving me
The first two lines use linked-pearl chain repetition. The final line echoes the opening, forming an upward-downward linkage. Phrases interlock like gears, and the rhythmic structure follows an “AB–BC–CD” progression, with alternating phonetic similarity and variation, producing a vivid sense of rhythm.
Luo Ying, “Tunnel”¹⁵
The tunnel wears the mountain
The mountain wears the clouds
The clouds wear the sky
The sky wears the coldness of liquid winter
The structural sequence is: “□□ mountain → mountain □□ cloud → cloud □□ sky → sky □□ coldness.” The final word of the preceding sentence leads into the next, forming a chain of associative linkage. In this poem, “contiguous association” forms the psychological foundation of creation.
Lin Hui-xiong, “As If Inevitable”¹⁶
As if the mouth chewing betel nut
must inevitably wear a sinister smile
As if the eyes not far from that mouth
must inevitably flash with something eerie
As if the hair not far from those eyes
must inevitably relate to a cropped hairstyle
As if the front not far from that head
must inevitably be waiting for a bullet
As if that bullet also chews betel nut
must inevitably blast the opponent’s nickname
into the news section of society pages
As if the society chewing betel nut
must inevitably harbor filth and corruption
and scatter scenes of blood and blades across the news
As if the mouth chewing betel nut
must inevitably speak in Taiwanese
The syntax of this poem is relatively simple. Its repeated structure is “as if □ chewing □, must inevitably □ □,” creating a stereotyped media image of Taiwanese gangsters as portrayed in television dramas and newspapers. The poem carries an ironic tone, exposing how media representations have long distorted and stigmatized Taiwanese people.
Chapter Five: Cohesive Forms — Anadiplosis (Chain Repetition)
Section One: Anadiplosis
1. Definition and Function of Anadiplosis
In poetry, the modes of linkage between sentences, apart from “upward extension and downward connection” (anadiplosis), also include forms such as “repetition of the same word” (reduplication), “parallel arrangement of identical structures” (parallelism), “layered progression” (gradation), and “revolving recitation” (palindromic structure). Among these, anadiplosis—characterized by “head-and-tail continuity and upward extension with downward connection,” in which the final word or phrase of each line becomes the opening of the next line, or the final sentence of each stanza becomes the opening sentence of the next stanza—serves as a bridge for poetic transition and a linkage for emotional development. This form of “overlapping transition” is the most tightly structured cohesive form.
“Anadiplosis,” also known as “chain repetition” or “linked pearl,” “is a structural phenomenon in which identical characters, words, or phrases are used in close succession, producing a formal pattern of forward-leading and backward-connecting links, with head and tail continuously linked in an interlocking structure.”¹ It is “a rhetorical technique that uses the ending vocabulary of the preceding sentence as the beginning of the following sentence, allowing adjacent sentences to be connected through the repetition of the same lexical item, producing a sense of upward extension and downward connection.”²
When using anadiplosis, one must first clearly understand the relationships among the things being expressed, and then organize them skillfully. “The use of anadiplosis not only makes sentence structures neat and semantic flow coherent, but also highlights the organic interconnection among things.”³ Secondly, the concepts expressed in the connected phrases or sentences must be consistent. In addition, it must be applied according to content needs; one must not pursue form alone or overuse anadiplosis, turning it into an empty linguistic game.
In poetry, anadiplosis can produce the following rhetorical effects:
(1) It makes meaning more meticulous and poetic lines more orderly, reflecting organic relations among images;
(2) It generates sentences from sentences, producing a continuous rhythm of cyclical repetition. “Generating sentences from sentences” is often used for “sound effects” (repetitive resonance), and secondly to strengthen tone. When used naturally, it makes the flow of imagery smoother.⁴
2. Historical Origins of Anadiplosis
The “anadiplosis pattern” can be traced back to the Book of Songs, such as “Daya: Wen Wang” and “Daya: Ji Zui,” which employ stanza-level anadiplosis.
The earliest discussion of this rhetorical device of “forward extension and backward connection, head-and-tail continuity” appears in the Western Jin Dynasty in Fu Xuan’s Preface to Linked Pearls, where it is called “linked pearls”: “As distinct as beads strung together, easy to see and pleasing, therefore it is called linked pearls.”
In classical poetry, examples of anadiplosis abound. For instance, in the ancient ballad Song of Mulan: “The general died in a hundred battles, the warrior returns after ten years. Returning to see the Son of Heaven, the Son of Heaven sits in the Bright Hall.” Another example is Cai Yong’s Drinking Horses at the Great Wall Grotto: “Green grass by the riverbank, endless longing for distant roads. Distant roads cannot be thought of, yet I saw them in dreams last night. In dreams you were beside me, suddenly I found myself in a foreign land...” and so on.
During the Tang Dynasty, regulated poetry flourished, and the use of anadiplosis became extremely common. For example, in Li Bai’s Song of White Clouds: “The mountains of Chu and Qin are all white clouds, white clouds always follow you everywhere...” In Farewell at Xie Tiao Tower in Xuanzhou, the line “Cut water with a sword, yet water flows more; raise a cup to dispel sorrow, yet sorrow grows heavier” is a timeless example of anadiplosis.
Other examples include Cen Shen’s Night Gathering at Liangzhou Pavilion: “The crescent moon rises above the city wall, the city wall moon illuminates Liangzhou...” and Jin Changxu’s Spring Grief, both widely celebrated.
In Song lyric poetry, the technique is equally prominent. For instance, Ouyang Xiu’s Butterflies in Love with Flowers: “How deep is the courtyard? Willows stack like mist...” The phrase “deep courtyard” includes both reduplication and anadiplosis: “deep deep” is repetition emphasizing vastness and desolation, while “how deep” connects through identical lexical repetition. “Tearful eyes ask flowers, flowers do not answer” also demonstrates sentence-internal anadiplosis.
Section Two: The Formal Aesthetics of Anadiplosis
“Anadiplosis refers to the phenomenon in which the final word or clause of one sentence becomes the initial word or clause of the next sentence. It links head and tail continuously, allowing meaning to progress step by step. At the same time, it produces a rhythmic aesthetic of forward and backward recurrence in discourse.”⁶
The structure of anadiplosis forms a cyclical pattern of “repetitive linkage” and “progression,” with rhythmic sequences such as “AB–BC–CD–DE.” Alternating between similar and different phonetic qualities, it produces a spiraling, interlocking rhythm. In terms of meaning, adjacent sentences are closely connected, with semantic progression unfolding layer by layer.
Section Three: Structural Form of Anadiplosis
Anadiplosis formally appears as: “the final character of the previous line becomes the first character of the next line; the final sentence of the previous section becomes the first sentence of the next section.” Through this tight linkage, sentences connect in layers, generating meaning from sentence to sentence.
The structural form consists of two parts:
(1) Linking words: between sentences, partial repetition of final words or phrases serves as a connective device for meaning and rhythm; this is called “linking words.”
(2) Progressive chains: using paired linking words as links, synonyms and antonyms are connected to form step-by-step semantic progression; this is called “progressive chains.”
Section Four: Manifestations of Anadiplosis
Anadiplosis has multiple classification systems. By external form, it includes “sentence-internal anadiplosis,” “linked-pearl anadiplosis,” and “chain anadiplosis.” By semantic relation, it includes “continuation relation,” “conditional relation,” “causal relation,” and “leap relation.”⁷ In practice, it often combines with gradation, chiasmus, parallelism, antithesis, and metaphor, forming hybrid rhetorical structures.⁸
The examples of modern poetry cited below are classified by form (axis) and semantic relation (weft) to ensure clarity and structural coherence.
1. Sentence-internal Anadiplosis
This refers to the use of phrases or short expressions to achieve upward-downward connection within a single sentence. It appears as repetition of words but actual semantic segmentation.⁹
Zhang Cuo, Knife of Broken Dreams
Rumors have long existed in the rivers and lakes,
Easily broken souls are difficult broken hearts,
Broken hearts are difficult,
Broken dreams are even harder.
This section originally contains two sets of sentence-internal anadiplosis (“broken” and “broken hearts are difficult”), but the poet deliberately splits the third line into two phrases to vary rhythm. The three lines interlock the images of “soul,” “heart,” and “dream,” producing a refined rhythm and conveying the heroic tenderness of “souls entwined and dreams haunting.”
Guan Guan, Spring is Like You You Are Like Smoke Smoke Is Like Me Me Is Like Spring
Spring is like you you are like pear blossoms pear blossoms are like apricot blossoms apricot blossoms are like peach blossoms peach blossoms are like your face face is like rouge rouge is like earth earth is like sky sky is like your eyes eyes are like rivers rivers are like your song song is like willow willow is like your hands hands are like wind wind is like cloud cloud is like your hair hair is like flying flowers flying flowers are like swallows swallows are like you you are like skylarks skylarks are like kites kites are like you you are like smoke smoke is like me me is like you you are like spring
This passage uses simile as its basic structure and employs sentence-internal anadiplosis. It must be read in one breath, requiring considerable breath control. The imagery is organized around “you,” unfolding through numerous similes such as pear blossoms, apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, face, rouge, sky, eyes, river, song, willow, hand, wind, cloud, hair, flying flowers, swallows, skylarks, kites, and smoke.
These images can be grouped into five categories: face, eyes, hands, hair, and “you,” each containing multiple sub-images:
(1) Face: pear/apricot/peach blossoms, rouge
(2) Eyes: sky, river, song
(3) Hands: willow, wind
(4) Hair: cloud, flying flowers
(5) You: spring, swallows, skylarks, kites, smoke
This classification is not entirely random and cannot be regarded as automatic writing in the surrealist sense. The ending also forms a palindromic structure echoing the beginning.
Yu Guangzhong, The Return of the Wanderer
Gulangyu, the wanderer who drifted away with the waves of Gulang
On Qingming Festival, at last there is a shore to turn back to
This line only appears to be anadiplosis but is actually “refractive echo,” a rhetorical device in which the same phrase appears in corresponding positions to create resonance. The repetition of “Gulang” functions similarly to Li Bai’s structure in Climbing Phoenix Terrace in Jinling. The causal relationship is clear: because he drifted away with the waves, there is a shore to return to.
2. Linked-Pearl Anadiplosis
Between sentences, the ending of the previous sentence and the beginning of the next use identical words.
Example from Peach Blossom Spring Record:
“The forest ends, then a mountain appears, the mountain has a small opening...”
The words “forest” and “mountain” link sentences directly, creating fluid continuity and revealing the discovery of the Peach Blossom Spring.
In modern poetry, this structure often appears as “sentence generation from sentence.”
Xiao Xiao, Wasteland of the Mortal World
All footprints follow the wind
All wind follows memory
All memory is like past footprints meeting a gust of wind
Passing swiftly
—leaving me
The first two lines use linked-pearl anadiplosis; later lines return to earlier openings, forming rhythmic AB–BC–CD progression.
Luo Ying, Tunnel
The tunnel wears the mountain
The mountain wears clouds
Clouds wear the sky
The sky wears the coldness of winter fluidity
Its structure follows a chain of associative progression, essentially based on “close association.”
Lin Hui-xiong, As If It Were Inevitable
The mouth chewing betel nut
inevitably wears a sinister smile
The eyes not far from that mouth
inevitably flash with cunning
...
The poem uses a fixed syntactic pattern to satirize media stereotypes of Taiwanese gangsters.
3. Chain Structure (Continuous Form)
This refers to the ending of one paragraph becoming the beginning of the next.
Tan Zihao, Ancient Intent
I wish my heart
to become a blooming flower
River, I entrust you to carry it to my beloved home
My beloved home
is a quiet riverside
...
Each stanza’s final line becomes the next stanza’s opening, forming linked continuity.
Xi Murong, The Wish of the Laurel Tree
Why do I still love you
The sea has already surged in
...
The final line of one stanza becomes the opening of the next, functioning as a structural hinge.
Yang Mu, Song of Yesterday’s Snow
Yesterday when it fell upon the mountainside...
...
This poem uses inter-stanza anadiplosis as transitional bridges linking semantic layers.
Ya Xian, Greece
Ah, Greece comes toward me
...
The poem forms a circular loop where the ending returns to the beginning, producing a closed imagistic cycle.
Shang Qin, The Sky in Flight
The face of the dead is a swamp that no one sees
The swamp in the wasteland is the escape of a portion of the sky
The fleeing sky is roses overflowing
The overflowing roses are snow that has never fallen
The snow that has not fallen is tears within the veins
The rising tears are strings being plucked
The plucked strings are a burning heart
The incinerated heart is the wasteland of the swamp
This poem shows almost no variation in sentence pattern; from beginning to end it is nothing more than “A is B,” which is a mode of expression through metaphor. As for its outward form, it employs the rhetorical device of anadiplosis, “generating sentence from sentence,” allowing each preceding line to connect tightly with the next. That is: A is B, B is C, C is D, D is E, E is F, F is G, G is H, and the final sentence becomes H is B; and since A is B, H is in fact also A. This poem adopts a cyclical design, using a single sentence pattern throughout, without any narrative sentences, relying entirely on the linkage of imagery as its primary creative method.
The method used in this poem is constructed through the combination of anadiplosis and metaphor (implicit metaphor). “A is B” is an implicit metaphor; the next line turns the previous line’s vehicle into a new subject, continuing into the next metaphorical structure. Thus, the poem can be arranged as follows:
The face of the dead — is — swamp
Swamp — is — sky
Sky — is — rose
Rose — is — snow
Snow — is — tear
Tear — is — string
String — is — heart
Heart — is — swamp
In terms of rhetoric, this poem mainly employs three techniques: first, implicit metaphor within metaphor; second, anadiplosis. Regarding anadiplosis, at the linguistic level it uses “inter-sentence anadiplosis,” also called “linked pearl structure,” in which the end of one sentence uses the same word or phrase as the beginning of the next. In terms of structural form, it uses “intermittent anadiplosis,” meaning that the subjects of adjacent sentences remain the same while the modifiers change. From the perspective of anadiplosis, the poem can be rearranged as follows:
The swamp unseen by anyone — the swamp in the wasteland
The escape of a portion of the sky — the fleeing sky
The overflowing rose — the overflowing rose
The snow that has never fallen — the snow that has not fallen
The tears within the veins — the rising tears
The plucked strings — the strings being plucked
The burning heart — the incinerated heart
The vehicle of one line becomes the subject of the next; the subject remains unchanged while the adjectives shift. Such subtle variations in imagery suggest changes in time and space. Thus, with each line, there is a shift of time and space and a transformation of emotion. This is a crucial key to the transformation of meaning.
Next, consider Guan Guan’s Face, which also uses “sentence-generated-from-sentence” linked anadiplosis:
Guan Guan, Face
She in love is a small knife of radiant spring light
A small knife of spring cuts my flesh
The cut flesh grows clusters of buds
Her fingers of buds are small knives of spring light
On a spring-light knife bloom flowers
Within each drop of flower is a green fruit
A painful fruit is my many pieces
My many pieces are cut by her many small spring-light knives
Cutting! Cutting!
The form of this poem produces two circular spirals: the first is “knife → cutting flesh → growing buds → knife”; the second is “knife → flower → fruit → I → knife.” The first half uses a relation of succession; the second half appears to use a causal relation.
In addition, Zhang Mo’s Song Without Melody is also an example of linked anadiplosis:
The moon on the treetops lets fall scattered sparks
The scattered sparks let fall the banks of fine grass
The banks of fine grass let fall sculpted cloud layers
The sculpted cloud layers let fall an earth not yet awakened
The not-yet-awakened earth lets fall an unfinished ink wash painting
An unfinished ink wash painting lets fall
Falling rapidly
An empty horizon without feet
I am the endlessly sung, endlessly unsung Yangguan
This poem uses direct inter-sentence anadiplosis; except for the last three lines, the first six lines remain structurally unchanged. Semantically, the poem proceeds through a chain of continuation: “sparks → banks → clouds → earth → ink wash → horizon,” arranged through associative linkage.
Chain Form
This refers to cases where the end of one paragraph becomes the beginning of the next, using the same sentence or phrase.
Qin Zihao, Ancient Intent
I wish my heart
to transform into a blooming flower
River water! I entrust you, please carry it to my beloved home
My beloved home
is a quiet riverside
On the riverbank stand several green willows
Under the willows is a small fishing boat
Inside the small fishing boat
my beloved is washing clothes
Flow on! Flow to her hands
She will naturally pick it up
The final lines of the first and second stanzas—“my beloved home” and “small fishing boat”—both become the opening lines of the following stanzas. This method of interlocking stanza linkage is called “linked-pearl stanza structure.”
Xi Murong, The Wish of the Laurel Tree
Why do I still love you
The sea has already surged in
It has washed over the sand of my life
And then retreated so quickly
Taking youth away in a single roll
Taking youth away in a single roll
Scattering a sky full of stars
Mountains remain, trees remain
But the water beneath my feet is no longer yesterday’s current
The final line of the previous stanza, “taking youth away in a single roll,” becomes the opening line of the next stanza; this is the chain structure. This anadiplosis line becomes the point of semantic overlap between stanzas, functioning like a “joint” that tightly binds them together. From a cinematic editing perspective, this anadiplosis line is a transitional shot between two sequences, the overlapping image in a superimposition.
Yang Mu, Song of Yesterday’s Snow
Yesterday when it fell to the mountainside, that snow line
(in the dim afternoon) I felt it had already approached me…
I heard beside my ears the sound of rivers and seas, a wind that hesitated
and the intermittent sound of a chainsaw from below
Chainsaw? That is unfinished autumn work continuing diligently in the cold current, like the teeth of a glutton
…On the slope, the Lutheran church roof, then silently
descending, finally stopping at our window as I also descend
Descend now, even the walls have already accumulated
white snow, it has fallen reaching nearly zero altitude…
lower than pillows, mountains and valleys
lower than our shoulders—falling in joy
Falling, snow may also pile up in certain dreams
Since yesterday it has been in my complete consciousness…
That melody seems like the theme of a new song we have been waiting for
destroying coniferous forests: the desire of the universe
This poem uses a chain form in which each stanza is connected by an anadiplosis phrase: yesterday…snow line → chainsaw → descent → falling → desire of the universe. Each linking phrase functions to connect semantic rhythm between stanzas.
Ya Xian’s Greece is also structured in this chain form:
Ah, Greece comes toward me
Golden cocks drink dew upon the palace
Homer plays a stringless lyre
Ah, stringless lyre
I feel that fragrant warmth
like the Aegean Sea when Helen bathed
Ah, the Aegean Sea
Venus stands within a shell
Flowers fall in succession
Ah, flowers
Whose song is hidden in my heart
Whose heart hides my song
Ah, song
Some moss is written upon the city walls
A Greece comes toward me
Its progression is: Greece…comes toward me → stringless lyre → Aegean Sea → flowers → song → Greece…comes toward me. Unlike Yang Mu’s poem, Greece uses only noun phrases (concrete imagery) to link sections, and its ending returns to the beginning, forming a complete circular imagistic loop, whereas Song of Yesterday’s Snow presents a linear chain of thought.
Section Five: Differences Between Anadiplosis and Similar Rhetorical Devices
1. Anadiplosis and Gradation
Anadiplosis and gradation share many similarities:
(1) In essence, both are formed through the linkage of concepts. Anadiplosis emphasizes connecting other concepts through a central idea; gradation, however, emphasizes proportion and causality.
(2) In form, anadiplosis uses the same lexical item to link adjacent sentences, emphasizing tight interconnection; gradation, by contrast, is based on the relationship among several sentences’ meanings, advancing layer by layer and emphasizing hierarchy and order.²⁴ “Anadiplosis reflects the connection and chain relations of things, while gradation reflects the ascending and descending relations of things.”²⁵
2. Anadiplosis and Palindromic Structure
(1) Genetic Similarity
Anadiplosis and palindromic structures are even more closely related in origin.
(1) In form, they are highly similar; both exhibit an overlapping transition of “forward extension and backward connection,” in which the beginning of the next sentence and the end of the previous sentence reuse the same word, reflecting interconnection among things.
(2) In rhythm, both create a musical effect of cyclical repetition and recurrence.
(2) Key Differences
1. Characteristics of Anadiplosis
(1) It extends forward without returning; there is no cyclical repetition of the same word.
(2) The two connected words at the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next proceed along a linear trajectory.
(3) Anadiplosis is not limited to full sentences; it can also occur in phrases or short expressions.
(4) The word order of anadiplosis is fixed; the text can only be read forward and cannot be reversed.
2. Characteristics of Palindromic Structure
(1) It is cyclic and recurrent: not only do the end words of the preceding sentence and the beginning of the next repeat and connect, but the end of the next sentence also returns to the beginning of the previous sentence, producing rhythmic repetition and cyclical musical beauty.
(2) The repeated words follow a circular trajectory of connection.
(3) Palindromic structure always uses complete sentences and is less flexible than anadiplosis.²⁶
(4) Its word order is arranged in reverse symmetry; the meaning can be read both forward and backward.
Notes
- Huang Lizhen, Practical Rhetoric (Revised Edition), Taipei: National Publishing, 2004, p. 447.
- Huang Qingxuan, Rhetoric Studies, Taipei: Sanmin, 2002, p. 689.
- Huang Minyu (ed.), Compendium of Rhetorical Devices (Revised Edition), Changsha: Hunan Publishing, 1991, p. 50.
- Xiao Xiao, Modern Poetics, Taipei: Dongda Books, 1986, p. 450.
- Zhang Chunrong, Walking Through Rhetoric (Revised 2nd Edition), Taipei: Dongda, 2004, pp. 125–126.
- Lei Shujuan, Aesthetics of Literary Language and Rhetoric, Shanghai: Xuelin Press, 2004, p. 96.
- Cheng Weijun et al. (eds.), Comprehensive Dictionary of Rhetoric, Taipei: Jianhong, 1991, p. 866.
- Same as note 1, pp. 457–458.
- Shen Qian, Rhetoric Studies (Volume II), Taipei: National Open University, 1991, p. 106.
- From Zhang Cuo, The Wanderer, Taipei: Erya, 1986, pp. 59–62.
- From Guan Guan, Selected Century Poems of Guan Guan, Taipei: Erya, 2000, p. 26.
- From Yu Guangzhong, Selected Poems of Yu Guangzhong II (1982–1998), Taipei: Hongfan, 1981, p. 235.
- Lu Jiaxiang & Chi Taining (eds.), Dictionary of Rhetorical Devices with Examples, Hangzhou: Zhejiang Education Press, 1990, p. 51.
- From Xiao Xiao Die, Fate Without Fate, Taipei: Erya, 1996, p. 25.
- From Luo Ying, Cloud Catcher, Taipei: Linbai, 1982, p. 132.
- From Lin Huixiong, Scenery in Fog, Taipei County Cultural Center, 1997, pp. 103–104.
- From Shang Qin, Dream or Dawn and Others, Taipei: Shulin, 1988, p. 77.
- From Guan Guan, Selected Poems of Guan Guan, Taipei: Hongfan, 1986, p. 106.
- From Zhang Mo, Love Poetry, Taipei: Erya, 1988, pp. 44–45.
- From Qin Zihao Editorial Committee (ed.), Complete Works of Qin Zihao I, Taipei: Qin Zihao Editorial Committee, 1965, p. 5.
- From Xi Murong, Unrepentant Youth, Taipei: Yuan Shen, 2000, pp. 64–65.
- From Yang Mu, Someone, Taipei: Hongfan, 1986, pp. 58–62.
- From Ya Xian, Collected Poems of Ya Xian, Taipei: Hongfan, 1981, p. 108.
- Huang Qingxuan, Rhetoric Studies, Taipei: Sanmin, 2002, p. 702.
- Cheng Weijun et al. (eds.), Comprehensive Dictionary of Rhetoric, Beijing: China Youth Press, 1991, p. 867.
- Liu Huanhui, Outline of Rhetoric, Nanchang: Baihuazhou Literature & Art Press, 1991, p. 415.
