Stylistic Analysis of Mandarin Punk Song "Linzhong Nuedai" Reveals Social and Historical Criticism

Illustration by AI

FORMOSA NEWS

Researchers Niza Ayuningtias and Lawrence Sihotang from Universitas Sumatera Utara examined the use of figurative language as a rhetorical strategy to construct social criticism in the Mandarin punk song titled "Linzhong Nuedai" by the band SMZB. Published in 2026, this study is crucial because it broadens the scope of Mandarin stylistic research beyond commercial pop music, demonstrating that music lyrics can serve as powerful instruments of political resistance and ideological critique.

Background and Problem Context

Mainstream stylistic studies on Mandarin song lyrics have predominantly focused on popular music genres and limited their scope to classifying rhetorical devices without exploring their socio-political meanings. Conversely, punk music genres, such as those performed by the Wuhan-based band SMZB, consistently address issues of political power, historical trauma, and social inequality through sharp symbolic expressions.

Research Methodology

This study applied a descriptive qualitative approach by analyzing the official lyrics of the song using a contextual stylistic framework and Huang and Liao's theory of Chinese rhetorical devices. Data were collected through documentation methods and subsequently analyzed through identification, classification of rhetorical forms, and interpretation of their socio-historical contexts.

Main Research Findings

The analysis reveals that various stylistic devices operate collectively as an integrated system to convey critical messages. The primary findings include:

• The use of hyperbole and irony, such as in the phrase "even death must be classified into different ranks," to depict the absurdity of extreme ideological control.
• Symbolic inversion through the imagery of the "Red Sun" combined with millions of corpses to reflect real historical tragedies such as the Cultural Revolution and the Great Chinese Famine.
• The deployment of personification and paradox criticizing ideological domination and the tendency to blame nature or external parties for political policy failures.

Implications and Research Impact

According to Niza Ayuningtias and Lawrence Sihotang from Universitas Sumatera Utara, figurative language in punk music functions not merely as aesthetic beauty, but as an essential rhetorical strategy for preserving society's collective memory. In education, these findings can be utilized by educators as alternative teaching materials to teach language stylistics, literary interpretation, and socio-culturally grounded critical discourse analysis.

Author Profiles

• Niza Ayuningtias – Researcher and academic at Universitas Sumatera Utara with expertise in stylistics and linguistics.
• Lawrence Sihotang – Researcher and academic at Universitas Sumatera Utara.

Research Sources

• Article Title: Constructing Social Criticism through Figurative Language in the Mandarin Punk Song Linzhong Nuedai: A Stylistic Analysis
• Journal Name: Journal of Language Development and Linguistics (JLDL), Vol. 5 No. 1
• Publication Year: 2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/jldl.v5i1.16883