1The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

1. 1.1 Symbolic meaning attributed to natural objects or facts.
   （自然，事实的）象征意义
   the old-fashioned symbolism of flowers

   有关花朵的老式象征意义。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • I especially love it when there is no meaningful symbolism and the inclusion of something pivotal was entirely by accident or an after thought.
   • If you want to know what joining the European Union means for a country like the Czech Republic, look at the symbolism of the fact that it took place on May 1.
   • There is a kind of symbolism in the fact that the quotation comes from a man who also from time to time got into trouble in the town of Ayr.
   • It was a moment of pomp and circumstance, and of great symbolism, tinged with more than a little sadness.
   • Therefore, if a flag purely represents the symbolism one personally attaches to it, surely it is harmless?
   • Then there is the giving and receiving of gifts for children which can take on an increased significance and symbolism during the festive season.
   • Morrison is right that there have been many gestural attempts to endow some buildings and the institutions that they house with significance through architectural symbolism.
   • The 12 dishes of a traditional banquet are chosen mainly for their symbolism and connotations of luck.
   • We are part of the community and there is a certain amount of symbolism in the event.
   • Maybe there was symbolism in the fact that he had built her coffin.
   • This tour de force of silver, gold, and enamel, more than three feet tall, is bristling with foliage and flowers and laden with symbolism.
   • They either remained blissfully ignorant about the deep symbolism of these images or deliberately ignored it.
   • In fact, all symbolism is a type of metaphor since they compare two unlike things.
   • The real significance of the vote is in its symbolism, and the fact it comes at a critical, watershed juncture in the evolution of sentiment toward the euro.
   • The Mourides have in fact developed a far-reaching symbolism around the various attributes seen within the original photograph.
   • The symbolism carved out of flowers, the sun and elements of nature is surprisingly shared across the board of all three artists.
   • I totally agree with Patrice Hall that a symbol loses its symbolism if it tells you what it symbolises.
   • It was a thousand years from Charlemagne to Napoleon, and yet the implicit symbolism of the Bonaparte's action was unmistakable.
   • Well, let me ask you about that, in fact, because the symbolism of marriage is very clear.
   • The lily has always had strong symbolic value, though its meaning and symbolism have changed through the ages.
   • Here's hoping that there is no deeper symbolism in the fact that the Namibian flag was hanging upside-down outside the High Court yesterday.
2. 1.2 An artistic and poetic movement or style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind. It originated in late 19th century France and Belgium, with important figures including Mallarmé, Maeterlinck, Verlaine, Rimbaud, and Redon.
   象征主义；象征主义手法（在艺术诗学界中使用象征性的符号和暗示来表达神秘思想、感情和精神状态的运动或风格；19世纪末期起源于法国和比利时，主要代表人物有马拉梅、梅特林克、魏尔兰、兰波和雷东）
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Writings were characterized by symbolism, romanticism, and existentialism.
   • From the first his work was macabre and fantastic, influenced by Goya's Caprichos, the drawings of Beardsley, the eroticism of Rops, and the symbolism of Redon.
   • Highly decorative and extremely personal, Davie's work celebrates colour and form, symbolism and mysticism.
   • What was he trying to convey and what was the idea behind this symbolism?
   • And, three, it also introduces a terrific tool for writers and visual artists alike: symbolism.
   • One of the most important qualities of symbolism within this novel, is the way in which it is so fully integrated into the plot and structure.
   • There are traces of surrealism, symbolism in his works.
   • His style, derived from observations of both art and life, is a more or less naive, expressionistic symbolism.
   • Poetry has been especially impacted: the Dawn-esque symbolism of Yeats informs Ted Hughes, and much Seamus Heaney and John Berryman.
   • According to the artist, the painting is full of symbolism.
   • Throughout his life he read voraciously about the great figures of European romanticism and symbolism.
   • Golding brings emotion, thought, and symbolism together in Lord Of The Flies to tell a story of survival by adaptation and ingenuity.
   • Various other literary styles, such as symbolism and existentialism, have influenced Slovene writers since the 1960s.
   • More labels spring to mind, formalism and symbolism among them.
   • It represents a rustic vision of Jacob wrestling with the Angel, but the real struggle fought out on canvas is between naturalism and symbolism in art.
   • And that motif links the poem with the overall symbolism of Swinburne's world where the sea is always considered a last refuge after pain.
   • Other essays touch on matters of style, symbolism and irony.
   • The work employs Alvar's traditional figures and symbolism to convey the message.
   • This pioneering show was not so much a re-evaluation of the artists as a validation of their importance through their contribution to European symbolism.
   • The lyrics veer between poetic symbolism and naked political urgency.