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Chiasmic

Structure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A structural pattern using inverted parallelism (e.g., A-B-B-A), often for emphasis, balance, or rhetorical effect.

Detailed Definition
Chiasmic refers to a rhetorical or structural pattern based on chiasmus—a figure of speech in which words or concepts are repeated in reverse order (ABBA)—creating symmetry, emphasis, or thematic inversion; in poetry, chiasmic arrangements can govern syntax, imagery, or stanzaic design to underscore contrast or resolution.
Example
Example in poetry:
Chiasmic structure reverses elements: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country”; In poetry: “Love bends my will, my will bends love” (Sir Philip Sidney); Biblical poetry uses chiasmus for theological balance; This device creates symmetry and emphasis; Chiasmic patterns reveal hidden correspondences.
Additional Notes
Adjective describing chiasmus-like structure or crossing arrangement. Creates inverted parallelism (ABBA pattern). Common in antithetical constructions. Differs from chiastic verse by describing single instances rather than sustained pattern.
Also Known As
Cross-structure Inverted parallelism Reversed pattern ABBA arrangement
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