dumb
用法要点
形容词用法
dumb 主要作形容词,描述人或动物不能说话或不愿说话的状态,也可引申为愚蠢或缺乏智慧,但后者较口语化且可能带贬义。
介词搭配
dumb 常与介词 with 连用,表示因某种情绪(如震惊、恐惧)而说不出话;也可与 about 搭配,表示对某事无知或沉默。
语域说明
在正式语境中,dumb 多指生理性哑巴或沉默,避免用于形容智力低下(可用 mute 或 speechless 替代);在非正式口语中,可表示愚蠢,但需注意礼貌。
句型结构
常见句型包括 'be dumb + 介词短语' 表示状态,或 'dumb + 名词' 作定语;在比喻中,可形容事物无声或无效。
基础例句
The child was born dumb, but he communicates well with sign language.
这个孩子天生哑巴,但他用手语交流得很好。
She stood dumb with shock when she heard the bad news.
听到坏消息时,她震惊得说不出话来。
Don't play dumb; I know you saw what happened.
别装傻,我知道你看到了发生的事情。
It was just dumb luck that I found my lost keys in the couch.
我能在沙发里找到丢失的钥匙,纯粹是运气好。
高级例句
In the study, participants remained dumb during the silent treatment phase to observe emotional responses.
在这项研究中,参与者在冷处理阶段保持沉默,以观察情绪反应。
The manager's dumb decision to ignore market trends led to significant financial losses for the company.
经理忽视市场趋势的愚蠢决定,导致公司遭受重大财务损失。
Historical records often depict oppressed groups as dumb, but recent scholarship highlights their covert resistance.
历史记录常将受压迫群体描绘为沉默的,但近期学术研究强调了他们隐秘的抵抗。
The dumb terminal in the office network only allows data display without processing capabilities.
办公室网络中的哑终端仅能显示数据,不具备处理能力。
高频搭配
verb
adjective
noun
adverb
preposition
phrase
常见错误
dumb 指不能说话,而 deaf 指听不见。中文学习者可能混淆这两个词,因为中文中'哑'常与'聋'关联,但英语中需区分:dumb 强调无声,deaf 强调无声输入。
在正式或学术语境中,dumb 形容愚蠢可能被视为不礼貌或非标准;stupid 更通用且直接。中文学习者可能过度使用 dumb 表示愚蠢,但应避免在正式场合使用,以保持语言得体。
近义词辨析
mute
mute 更正式,特指因生理或心理原因不能说话,常用于医学或法律语境;dumb 较通用,可指暂时性或比喻性沉默。
The patient is mute due to a neurological disorder. (正式) vs. He was dumb with awe at the sight. (通用)
speechless
speechless 强调因强烈情绪(如惊讶、愤怒)而一时说不出话,通常是暂时的;dumb 可涵盖更广的沉默状态,包括永久性或故意沉默。
She was speechless after winning the award. (情绪导致) vs. The spy remained dumb under interrogation. (故意沉默)