figure of speech; rhetorical flourish
Refers to rhetorical devices or embellishments in language, often used in literary analysis or writing instruction.
この詩には多くの修辞が使われている。
Many figures of speech are used in this poem.
修辞を学ぶと文章が豊かになる。
Learning rhetorical devices enriches your writing.
修辞 is a neutral term for rhetorical technique, whereas 美辞麗句 specifically implies empty or insincere embellishment.
From Middle Chinese 修辭 (xiūcí), meaning 'polished language' or 'rhetoric'. The kanji 修 means 'to polish/refine' and 辞 means 'word/phrase'.