noun
irony; rhetorical question
Refers to the rhetorical device of stating the opposite of what one means, or asking a question to imply its opposite. Often used in literary or formal analysis.
この詩では反語法が効果的に使われている。
Irony is used effectively in this poem.
「まさか」という表現は反語法の一種だ。
The expression 'masaka' is a kind of rhetorical question.
修辞法 is the broader category of rhetorical devices; 反語法 is one specific technique.
Compound of 反語 (irony, antiphrasis) and 法 (method, rule). The term is a direct borrowing from Chinese rhetorical terminology.