諷刺為一種具攻擊性的冷嘲(Attardo, 2000; Haiman, 1998)，使用正面字眼傳遞負面意義或態度，用於特定對象且具有意味不明的批評pews, Kaplan, & Winner, 1995)。先前文獻指出，說話者對聽話者諷刺是為了表達幽默或攻擊性的意圖(Dews et al., 1995; Jorgensen, 1996; Toplak & Katz, 2000)。本研究以《後宮甄孃傳》七冊小說中選出兩冊，檢視諷刺使用方式，基於情緒、動作、及行為的描述(Claridge, 2001; Dews et al., 1995; Jorgensen, 1996; Toplak & Katz, 2000)，根據上下文選出22句具有諷刺意味的句子，建立小型語料庫，利用AntConc 及中研院資訊所的中文剖析器做詞類文意分析。研究結果顯示：a)諷刺不只以直述句表達，還常以‘「疑問副詞+否定」’的疑問句呈現；b)諷刺主要功能為冒犯與攻擊；c)冷嘲性批評比字面批評攻擊性大；d)内文大部分諷刺指涉對象均在諷刺現場。

Sarcasm, a type of aggressive irony, targeting a victim and carries implicit criticism (Attardo, 2000; Haiman, 1998) employs positive words to convey negative meanings or attitude (Dews, Kaplan, & Winner, 1995). Previous studies focusing on the functions or usages of sarcastic irony found that some speakers used sarcasm to express humorous or aggressive intention to the addressee (Dews et al., 1995; Jorgensen, 1996; Toplak & Katz, 2000). This study thus examined the usages of sarcasm used in Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan《後宮甄嬛傳》.Based on the description of emotion, gestures and behaviors (Claridge, 2001; Dews et al., 1995; Jorgensen, 1996; Toplak & Katz, 2000), twenty-two passages showing sarcasm in context were extracted from 2 out of 7 volumes of the novel Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan《後宮甄嬛傳》.A small-scaled corpus was created and the data were analyzed via AntConc and CKIP Chinese Parser. The results showed that: a) the sarcasm in this text was not only expressed in statements but also in question forms with the pattern of ‘interrogative adjunct (adverb) + negation，； b) offense/aggression was the m句or function of sarcasm in the text; c) ironic criticism is more aggressive than literal criticism in this text; d) most referents in the text was a present victim.