Definition
意识流 is a loanword from English 'stream of consciousness', referring to a literary technique that presents a character's continuous flow of thoughts, feelings, and sensory impressions. It's most commonly used in literary criticism and discussion of modernist novels (like those by James Joyce or Virginia Woolf). The term is also sometimes extended to describe any unstructured, rambling inner monologue in real-life conversation, but the core sense remains the narrative device.
n.
stream of consciousness (literary technique)
Examples
- 《》意识流。Qiáoyīsī de 《Yóulìxīsī》 shì yì shí liú xiǎoshuō de dàibiǎo zuò.Joyce's Ulysses is a representative work of stream-of-consciousness fiction.
- 意识流,。Zhè piān xiǎoshuō yùnyòng yì shí liú shǒufǎ, zhǎnxiàn le rénwù fùzá de nèixīn shìjiè.This novel uses the stream-of-consciousness technique to present the character's complex inner world.
- 意识流,。Tā shuōhuà xiàng yì shí liú yíyàng tiàoyuè, ràng rén hěn nán gēn shàng.She speaks in a stream-of-consciousness way, jumping from thought to thought, making it hard to follow.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.