Mire
“Mire” 既指实体的深泥、沼泽,也常用于比喻极其糟糕且难以摆脱的处境。作为动词时,它表示物理上的陷入泥中,或在精神/法律层面上陷入麻烦。
- “The tractor got stuck in the deep mire after the heavy rain.” (大雨过后,拖拉机陷进了深泥沼中。)
- “The company is mired in debt and legal problems.” (公司陷入了债务和法律问题的泥潭中。)
- “It was difficult to pull the horse out of the thick mire.” (很难把马从厚厚的泥沼中拉出来。)
源自古诺斯语 “mýrr”,意为“沼泽”或“湿地”。
“Mire” 是一个独立的词根词。
在英国文学(如《天路历程》)中,“Slough of Despond”(绝望潭)就是一个著名的 “mire”,象征着人们在追求理想过程中遇到的精神困境。这个词在现代新闻中常用来形容拖沓不前的政治局面或经济危机。
- 过去式/过去分词:mired (陷入……的)
- 近义词:swamp, bog, quagmire
“Mire” 发音像 “muddy”(泥泞的)。想象自己脚踩在深深的泥(mud)里,无法自拔,就是陷入了 “mire”。
“During the construction of the new highway, a massive truck drove off the road and into a hidden mire. It took three cranes and ten hours of work to free the vehicle. The engineers realized they needed to be more careful about the soft soil in that area.” (在修建新高速公路期间,一辆重型卡车驶离路面掉进了一个隐蔽的泥沼。动用了三台起重机,花了十个小时才把车弄出来。工程师们意识到他们需要对那个地区的松软土壤更加小心。)