A somnambulist is a person who walks about while they are asleep — a sleepwalker. The -ist ending marks the PERSON; the condition itself is somnambulism.

A somnambulist is a person who walks about while they are asleepsomnambulist是指人在睡著的時候到處走動——a sleepwalker也就是夢遊者。The -ist ending marks the PERSON字尾-ist標出的是「人」；the condition itself is somnambulism這個症狀本身叫somnambulism。

Like its partner word, this one is formal and rather literary. In real speech people say sleepwalker; somnambulist turns up in medical writing, in old novels and in films, where it often carries a slightly eerie feeling, as though the person were under a spell rather than simply asleep.

Like its partner word跟它的搭檔詞一樣，this one is formal and rather literary這個詞也是正式、偏文學的。In real speech people say sleepwalker日常講話裡人們會說sleepwalker；somnambulist turns up in medical writing, in old novels and in filmssomnambulist則出現在醫學文獻、老小說和電影裡，where it often carries a slightly eerie feeling在那些地方它常帶點詭異的感覺，as though the person were under a spell rather than simply asleep好像那個人是被下了咒，而不只是單純睡著。

That flavour comes partly from the famous 1920 German film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, where a somnambulist is controlled by another man. Writers still borrow the word for that reason.

That flavour comes partly from the famous 1920 German film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari這種味道有一部分來自1920年那部有名的德國電影《卡里加利博士的小屋》，where a somnambulist is controlled by another man片中一個夢遊者被另一個人控制。Writers still borrow the word for that reason作家至今還是因為這個緣故借用這個詞。

You may also see it stretched: someone moving through life without noticing anything, doing everything on habit, can be called a somnambulist — 'he went through his job like a somnambulist'. That use is figurative and always a little bit critical.

You may also see it stretched你也可能看到這個詞被延伸使用：someone moving through life without noticing anything一個過日子時什麼都不留意的人，doing everything on habit事事都只是憑習慣做，can be called a somnambulist也可以被稱作somnambulist——'he went through his job like a somnambulist'就像「他做這份工作就像個somnambulist」這種說法。That use is figurative and always a little bit critical這種用法是比喻性的，而且總是帶點批評的意味。