Rhetoric is both a branch of linguistics and a component of literary studies. From the perspective of literariness, language can be broadly divided into three categories: literary language, quasi-literary language, and functional language. The criterion for distinguishing among these three types is the extent to which rhetorical devices are employed. In ancient China, aestheticians and literary theorists were often also rhetoricians. Classical Chinese literary theory tended to focus more on the rhetorical art of literary works than on their thematic content. In contemporary times, literary scholars rarely express interest in rhetoric, and linguists seldom engage with the language of literary works. Nevertheless, many linguists have shown interest in the rhetorical style of Lu Xun’s works, precisely because of his rich and sophisticated use of rhetoric techniques. As a literary scholar, the author of this paper is often faced with the challenge of understanding the rhetorical features of literary language only superficially, without a deep grasp of the underlying principles. It is argued that literary researchers should cultivate a strong foundation in rhetoric in order to genuinely appreciate and evaluate the literariness of literary works.