Oxymoron

Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech which is formed by the conjoining of two contrasting, contradictory terms to produce a special effect. An oxymoron is a compressed paradox.（用两种不相调和或截然相反的词语来形容某一事物, 在矛盾中寻求哲理, 这种修辞手法叫做矛盾修饰法。）

An oxymoron can be formed through the following ways:

1.adj. + n.

proud humility 骄傲的谦卑

painful pleasure 悲喜交集

a thunderous silence 雷声般的沉默

a cheerful pessimist 纵情享乐的厌世者

noble lie 高尚的谎言

(present participle →adj.)

speaking silence 千言万语的沉默

loving hate 爱的怨恨

a living death 活受罪（活着的死亡）

(past participle →adj.)

long-lived death 永生的死亡

a vanquished victor 被征服的胜利者

When the news of the failure came, all his friends said that it was a victorious defeat. 当失败的消息传来时, 所有朋友都说这是胜利的失败。

She read the long-awaited letter with a tearful smile.

她带着含泪的微笑读了这封盼望已久的信。

The mother is undergoing the joyful pain, and the painful joy of childbirth.

这位母亲正经受着分娩时那种欢乐的痛苦和痛苦的欢乐。

2.adj. + adj.

sour-sweet days酸甜的日子

cold pleasant manner 冷淡热情的态度

bitter-sweet memories 苦甜参半的回忆

poor rich guys 贫穷的富人

bad good news 坏的好消息

my wonderful lousy poem 我绝妙的糟诗

a miserable, merry Christmas 又悲又喜的圣诞节

3.adv. + adj.

falsely true words 虚伪诚实的话

a wisely stupid idea 自作聪明的傻主意

a mercifully fatal blow 仁慈的致命打击

He was conspicuously absent at the party. 他引人注目地未出席会议。

4.n. + n.

a love-hate relationship 又爱又恨的关系

a life-and-death struggle 生死存亡的斗争

5.adv. + present participle

changelessly changing 不变地变化

deliciously aching 令人愉快地疼痛

6.v. + adv.

shine darkly 暗淡地发光

die merrily 快乐地死去

hasten slowly 慢慢地快起来

groan loudly 大声地呻吟

7.of-phrase

the feather of lead 铅铸的羽毛

the sound of silence 沉默的声音

Note: The difference between paradox and oxymoron is that in paradox, it is sentence meaning that is contradictory（句子含义矛盾）; in oxymoron, it is words meaning that is contradictory（词汇含义矛盾）.