Abstract: Critical metonymy analysis， generating from an integration of rhetorical criticism and metonymy， aims to disclose text constructors persuasive motives hidden in the metonymic selection towards their audience by metonymic description， explanation and evaluation. As an important parameter of critical metonymy analysis， rhetorical situation can be subdivided into rhetorical situation in the broad sense and rhetorical situation in the narrow sense， with the former mainly referring to social context and the latter context. These two kinds of rhetorical situations play their particular roles in metonymic description， explanation and evaluation. On the one hand， only in an appropriate rhetorical situation can metonymy be reasonably and scientifically described， explained and evaluated; on the other hand， the description， explanation and evaluation of metonymy might help us to reshape and reconsider rhetorical situations.

Key words: critical metonymy analysis, rhetorical situation, rhetorical criticism, metonymy