حِكَايَةٌ
2.
[Used as a simple subst., it signifies A narrative, story, or tale:] plural حَكَايَاتٌ. (TA.)
3.
As a conventional term in grammar, [meaning Imitation, or conforming, in language,] it is of two kinds: حِكَايَةُ جُمْلَةٍ [The imitation of a proposition, or phrase], and حِكَايَةُ مُفْرَدٍ [The imitation of a single word]: the former is of two sorts; one of which is termed حِكَايَةُ مَلْفُوظٍ [The imitation of a thing uttered], whereof قَالُوا الحَمْدُ للّٰهِ [They said, “ Praise be to God, ” (Qur'an, 7:41,)] is an example; and the other, حِكَايَةُ مَكْتُوبٍ [The imitation of a thing written], whereof قَرَأْتُ عَلَى فَصِّهِ مُحَمَّدٌ
رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ [I read upon his ring-stone, “ Mohammad is the Apostle of God, ”] is an example: and the latter kind, also, (that of a single word,) is of two sorts; one of which is with the interrogative أَىٌّ or مَنْ, as when, to one who says, رَأَيْتُ
رَجُلًا [pronounced رَجُلَا, I saw a man], you say, أَيَّا [What (man)?], or مَنَا [Whom?], and the like, which sort is agreeable with a common rule; the other sort being without an interrogative, as the saying of one of the Arabs, to one who said, هَاتَانِ تَمْرَتَانِ [These are two dates], دَعْنَا مِنْ تَمْرَتَانِ [Abstain thou from troubling us about two dates], which sort is anomalous. (El-Ashmoonee's Expos. of the Alfeeyeh of Ibn-Málik.) [حِكَايَةُ صَوْتٍ signifies A word imitative of a sound; an onomatopœia: see اِسْمُ صَوْتٍ in article سمو.]