The paper continues the series of author’s publications on poetics of A. Cantemir’s satires, and is dedicated to one of his favorite and frequently used rhetorical fi gures — zeugma. Traditionally, only the content of Cantemir’s satires is analyzed. However, the microphilological approach allows to see the satires as the unique poetic world, where the variety of people and their properties corresponds to the variety of artistic means for their depiction. The main idea of satires is the opposition of the old and the new in all areas of life. To describe this incessant struggle, Cantemir makes use of the expressive power of all the text levels. The system of rhetorical fi gures used in the satire is rich and elaborate. Each fi gure has much to do with the general plan and basic ideas of the satyrs. From the structural-combinatorial point of view of zeugma refers to operation of detraction (detractio). Ancient rhetoric distinguished syntactically and semantically uncomplicated and complicated zeugma. Basing on concrete examples the paper considers the “informative” and “elocutionary” functions of different types of zeugma in satires: with the help of zeugma, Cantemir manages to place the multitude of meanings in fewer words, diversify the expression plan and activate reader’s perception.