noun
apophasis
A rhetorical device where the speaker brings up a subject by denying it will be mentioned. Rare, technical term used in rhetoric and literary analysis.
「彼の失敗については触れないが」という言い回しは陽否陰述の一例だ。
The phrase 'I won't mention his failure' is an example of apophasis.
The term is composed of 陽 (open, positive), 否 (deny), 陰 (hidden, negative), and 述 (state), literally meaning 'open denial, hidden statement'. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely derives from Chinese rhetorical terminology.