叙事 (xùshì)

叙事 refers both to the act of narrating events and to narrative as a literary mode or structure. As a verb it means to recount or narrate, while as a noun it denotes narrative itself. It is a key term in literary studies, film criticism, and journalism, distinguishing event-driven writing from lyrical or argumentative writing.

Meanings

[v] to narrate; to recount events in sequence
[n] narrative; the narrative mode or technique in a text

Example Sentences

这部小说采用第一人称叙事，使读者感到身临其境。 Zhè bù xiǎoshuō cǎiyòng dìyī rénchēng xùshì, shǐ dúzhě gǎndào shēnlín qíjìng. This novel uses first-person narration, making readers feel as if they are there in person.

叙事视角的选择对故事的效果有深远的影响。 Xùshì shìjiǎo de xuǎnzé duì gùshi de xiàoguǒ yǒu shēnyuǎn de yǐngxiǎng. The choice of narrative perspective has a far-reaching impact on the effect of a story.

导演通过非线性叙事打乱了时间顺序，增加了悬念。 Dǎoyǎn tōngguò fēi xiànxìng xùshì dǎluàn le shíjiān shùnxù, zēngjiā le xuánniàn. The director disrupted the chronological order through non-linear narrative, adding suspense.

他擅长用简洁的语言叙事，几句话就能勾勒出完整的情节。 Tā shàncháng yòng jiǎnjié de yǔyán xùshì, jǐ jù huà jiù néng gōulè chū wánzhěng de qíngjié. He excels at narrating with concise language, sketching out a complete plot in just a few sentences.

民间故事的叙事结构通常比较简单，注重道德教化。 Mínjiān gùshi de xùshì jiégòu tōngcháng bǐjiào jiǎndān, zhùzhòng dàodé jiàohuà. The narrative structure of folk tales is usually simple, emphasizing moral instruction.

这位记者以生动的叙事手法报道了灾区的真实情况。 Zhè wèi jìzhě yǐ shēngdòng de xùshì shǒufǎ bàodào le zāiqū de zhēnshí qíngkuàng. This journalist reported the real situation in the disaster area using vivid narrative techniques.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
叙事视角	narrative perspective
叙事结构	narrative structure
非线性叙事	non-linear narrative
第一人称叙事	first-person narration
叙事手法	narrative technique

Usage Notes

叙事 is used in both literary and journalistic contexts. In literary criticism, it often appears with technical terms: 叙事视角, 叙事结构, 叙事时间. As a verb, it is more formal than simply saying 讲故事 (jiǎng gùshi); you would use 叙事 in academic writing but more likely say 讲故事 in everyday conversation.

The compound 叙事诗 (xùshìshī) means narrative poetry (as opposed to lyric poetry), and 叙事性 (xùshìxìng) means "narrative quality." These derived forms are common in literary analysis.

Memory Hook

叙 means to relate or narrate (like 叙述); 事 means events or affairs — 叙事 is literally "relating events," i.e., narrative.