交错配列(Chiasmus)是指在两个不同的并列句子中,第二个是第一个的颠倒排列 (a reversalin the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases)。一个著名的例子是西塞罗的“吃饭是为了活着,但活着并不是为了吃饭。”(Eat to live, but not live to eat.)
交错配列常出现在名言中,历史上有很多智者名人的名言中都使用到这个语言艺术。从总统到思想家到作家还有草根人士,大家都在用:
草根队
麦·韦斯特:
It's not the men in my life, but the life in my men.
重要的不是我生命中的男人们,而是我在男人们里度过的生命。
无名氏:
Marriage is the price men pay for sex; sex is the price women pay for marriage.
婚姻是男人为性付出的代价,性是女人为婚姻付出的代价。
吉姆·巴克斯:
Many a man owes his success to his first wife and his second wife to his success.
很多男人将成功归因于其第一个妻子,而将其第二个妻子归因于其成功。
艾米·迈克尔:
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
你可以付出而不去爱,但不能去爱而不付出。
E·Y·哈尔堡:
To let a fool kiss you is stupid. To let a kiss fool you is worse.
让一个傻瓜吻你,这很蠢;让一个吻骗你,那就更蠢。
马松·库利:
Friendship is love minus sex and plus reason. Love is friendship plus sex and minus reason.
友谊就是爱情减去性加上理智,爱情就是友谊加上性减去理智。
约翰·戴维森·洛克菲勒:
A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on friendship.
在生意中建立起的友情胜过在友情上建立起的生意。
沃森:
You have to put your heart in the business and the business in your heart.
你必须将心放在生意上,将生意放在你的心上。
基恩·毛奇:
I'm not the manager because I'm always right, but I'm always right because I'm the manager.
我不是经理,因为我总是对的;但我总是对的,因为我是经理。