A literary or rhetorical device where a reference is made to another work, person, or event, often indirectly. Used in academic or critical contexts.
Many allusions to the Bible can be found in this poem.
His novel is rich in allusions to historical events.
From 引 (draw, pull) and 喩 (metaphor, compare), suggesting the idea of 'drawing a comparison' or 'citing by implication'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is used in Japanese literary criticism.