"Shuo" Style And Persuasion: A Study Of Rhetoric In Han Feizi's Neiwaichushu

In the chapter "Neiwaichushuo" of Han Feizi,Han Fei integrated ideas and stories in the form of a "Jing Shuo" structure to form a new style of writing,"Shuo",which provided the ruler with a way to govern the country.The special feature of the "Shuo" style is that it serves both written and oral purposes.However,its use as an oral text and its exploration of persuasion techniques are often overlooked because of the time passed by and the inability to recreate the scenes of the speech.Therefore,this paper attempts to use Aristotle’s Rhetoric as a reference to explore the rhetorical thought of "Shuo",examine the principles of persuasion and persuasive techniques embodied in the chapter "Neiwaichushuo" of Han Feizi,and conclude that Han Feizi’s rhetorical thought has an important position in Chinese rhetoric.The paper consists of an introduction,three content chapters,and a conclusion.The introductory part explains the reasons for choosing the chapter "Neiwaichushuo" of Han Feizi as a study of Han Feizi’s rhetorical thought.It also includes the rhetorical thought of the "Shuo" style which is reflected in the oral text used as a persuasive text for the ruler.It is pointed out that the "oral " character of Han Feizi is gradually gaining attention and Western Rhetoric can provide a new perspective for the interpretation of the canonical texts of the pre-Qin sons.The first chapter starts from the concept of "rhetoric",explaining that "rhetoric" in this paper refers to the use of linguistic techniques to achieve persuasion in verbal expressions.The writer also analyzes the evolution of the original meaning of the word "say" and the meaning of the "Shuo" style,and concludes that the "Shuo" style in the chapter "Neiwaichushuo" of Han Feizi has the meaning of explanation,conversation and joy.Afterwards,the writer introduces the perspective of Rhetoric and analyzes its similarities with the "Shuo" style in terms of structure and persuasive argumentation.In addition,the writer analyzes how the "Shuo" style achieves the function of persuasion in the context of the times and other chapters in Han Feizi that includes "Shuo".The rhetorical view of Han Feizi is that since the audience of the "Shuo" style is the monarch,it was difficult to persuade him.As a result,when addressing the monarch,there are two stages: "decorating what is reserved and destroying what is shameful" and "spreading wisdom and arguments",depending on whether the monarch trusted him or not.The second chapter analyzes the "Shuo" style in terms of persuasive structure and persuasive style,with reference to the discussion of persuasive ideas in Rhetoric.In the structure of "Jing Shuo",the language of "Jing" is programmed,the story of "Shuo" is typifies and the structure of " Jing Shuo" is logical."Jing" presenting ideas and "Shuo" supporting them with stories are all in the service of persuasion.Three types of persuasive style can be summarized as "moving with emotion","reasoning" and "character credibility".The third chapter analyzes the rhetorical features of the chapter "Neiwaichushuo" of Han Feizi.On one hand,it develops from the "Shuo" style as a ruling technique under the position of legalism,which can be especially shown in the rhetorical concept of the "Shuo" style summarized as "law" and "profit",the rhetorical borrowing and adaptation of the views of various schools of thought and the rhetorical provision of persuasion for the target,"the master".On the other hand,the three rhetorical strategies used in the "Shuo" style are verbal in nature while achieving persuasion,namely,the appearance of the form of "one saying",the elaboration of the rhetorical principle of "Memory",and the use of analogical metaphors.After summarizing the characteristics of the persuasive thought of the "Shuo" style,the writer pays attention to the significance of the "Shuo" style as a literary concept in the study of literary history.At a time when oral literature is gradually being marginalized,texts such as the chapter "Neiwaichushuo" of Han Feizi,can provide more research value for oral literature.In addition,its commonalities with contemporary rhetorical thought also need to be further explored.