Abstract：The history of acupuncture can be traced back to the Paleolithic period. Acupuncture was used to treat illnesses earlier than medical prescription， and the pain of acupuncture was far more intense than that of prescription. The instruments used for acupuncture included both metal and stone artifacts， which had an impact on Chinese literary criticism. Firstly， according to the traditional Chinese medicine， treatment is not only for the body， but also for the state. As the saying goes， “a superior doctor heals the politic body”， the pain of acupuncture in body and the directness of acute criticism correspond to each other. Secondly， the original meaning of the word “prick” is “satirize”， the prick of acupuncture for disease refers to satirizing reality. The metaphors of acupuncture， satirical advice and the tradition of admonition correspond with and analogize each other. Finally， in the comparison between acupuncture for disease and satirizing reality， the body-state isomorphism constitutes an implicit clue， which suggests the cure of the disease is the cure of the state. The body is the body of practice， of health， and of the state. Acupuncture is based on illness， and the illness discourse is associated with political discourse. In short， in the framework of body-state isomorphism， treatment as political rhetoric unifies medicine， body and polity， and political rhetoric is accomplished with the help of body and treatment metaphors. The polity is the object of treatment， rather than the naturally occurring organisms， which is not so much a politics of the body as a politics of therapy.
闫月珍. 针砭之喻与中国文学批评——医疗话语与政治修辞[J]. 华中师范大学学报（人文社会科学版）, 2024, 63(3): 104-114.
Yan Yuezhen. The Metaphor of Acupuncture and Chinese Literary Criticism——Medical Discourse and Political Rhetoric. journal1, 2024, 63(3): 104-114.
2024, Vol. 63 
