中国唐代檄文「讨武曌檄」的修辞分析

Abstract

The proclamation was a highly important military literary form in ancient China, primarily aimed at boosting one’s own military morale and simultaneously intimidating the enemy. Therefore, the study of the persuasive rhetoric in proclamations is essential. Proclamations originated in the Spring and Autumn periods and reached their peak during the Tang dynasty. Among the numerous proclamations of the Tang dynasty, the most famous is Luo Binwang’s The Proclamation Against Wu Zhao. Accordingly, this paper seeks to conduct a detailed rhetorical analysis of The Proclamation Against Wu Zhao based on Aristotle and Cicero’s Western rhetorical theories, focusing on three areas: invention, arrangement, and style. First, in the invention area, the paper introduces the proclamation’s sender, receiver, and arguments. In the arrangement area, it primarily explains Ethos, Logos, and Pathos, analyzing the strong persuasive power contained in the proclamation. Lastly, in the style area, it details how the proclamation persuades its audience to join in the campaign against Wu Zetian through three rhetorical techniques: contrast, exaggeration, and rhetorical questioning.