deconstruction
deconstruction — noun
- deconstructionsingular
- deconstructionsplural
1. a way of examining something by separating it into its basic pieces to learn wha
a way of examining something by separating it into its basic pieces to learn what each part does and how they work together, often revealing a meaning that differs from the usual understanding
Beatriz wrote a careful deconstruction of the government's housing policy, showing how it hurts the people it claims to help.
deconstruction + of + [policy/system]
Professor Aoi's lecture was a brilliant deconstruction of the film's most famous scene.
The article offers a deconstruction of modern advertising techniques and their effect on young people.
A detailed deconstruction of the argument revealed several hidden assumptions.
- analysis
broader and more neutral; analysis can be any examination, while deconstruction implies revealing hidden or unexpected meanings
- breakdown
less formal and more general; used for separating any whole into parts
- examination
more general; does not imply a revealing of hidden meanings
- construction
the process of building or putting together
- synthesis
combining parts into a whole, the opposite of breaking down
文法句型
deconstruction + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with 'of' to specify what is being examined. Can be used in academic, journalistic, and analytical contexts to describe any close analysis of a system, argument, or cultural product.
常見錯誤
2. a critical method, especially in literary and philosophical studies, which argue
a critical method, especially in literary and philosophical studies, which argues that a written work has no single fixed meaning and that each person who reads it creates their own unique understanding of it
Nala used deconstruction to show that the poem could be read in two completely opposite ways.
deconstruction applied to [literary text]
The course on deconstruction taught students that language never carries just one stable meaning.
Ishaan's essay applied deconstruction to the novel, arguing that its true message contradicts what the author intended.
Students of deconstruction learn to look at what a text leaves out, not just what it says directly.
Many critics see deconstruction as a way to question long-held assumptions about truth in literature.
- critical analysis
a broader term for detailed examination of a text; less tied to a specific philosophical movement
- poststructuralist criticism
the broader theoretical school that deconstruction belongs to
- close reading
a different method that also examines texts in detail but does not reject fixed meaning
文法句型
deconstruction + of + [text]
用法筆記
This sense is specific to literary theory and philosophy. In academic writing, 'deconstruction' (uncapitalized) refers to the method developed by French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Do not use this sense for general analytical breakdowns — that is sense 1.