abstract
abstract — 形容詞
1. describing something that is a thought, feeling, or quality rather than an objec
抽象的
只存在於想法中、看不見摸不著的
describing something that is a thought, feeling, or quality rather than an object you can touch or see, such as love, freedom, or honesty.
Justice is an abstract concept that children find hard to grasp.
正義是一個抽象的概念，孩子們很難理解。
abstract + concept (typical noun collocation)
Noa struggles to draw abstract feelings like loneliness or hope.
Noa 很難畫出像孤獨或希望這種抽象的感受。
The professor used a red apple to explain abstract ideas about colour.
教授用一顆紅蘋果來解釋顏色的抽象概念。
Freedom remains an abstract word until you have lost it.
自由在你失去它之前，都只是個抽象的詞。
For young children, time is an abstract notion they cannot picture.
對小孩子而言，時間是個無法想像的抽象概念。
- intangible
stronger emphasis on cannot-be-touched; often about value or feelings
- conceptual
more academic; stresses being part of a system of ideas
- theoretical
leans toward unproven, planned in the mind only
用法筆記
Frequently modifies nouns of thought such as concept, idea, notion, principle. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense contrasts an idea with a physical object, while sense 2 contrasts general theory with specific cases.
常見錯誤
2. talking about a subject only in general or theoretical terms, without using real
空泛的
只談道理，不舉實例的
talking about a subject only in general or theoretical terms, without using real examples or describing what would actually happen in practice.
Their debate stayed abstract and never touched on what to do tomorrow.
他們的辯論一直停留在空泛的層次，從未談到明天該怎麼做。
stay/remain + abstract (predicative use)
Viraj prefers concrete cases to abstract arguments about ethics.
比起空泛的倫理討論，Viraj 更喜歡具體的案例。
contrast: abstract vs concrete arguments
The lecture felt too abstract for students who had never run a business.
對於從沒經營過公司的學生來說，這堂課太理論了。
On an abstract level, the plan sounds fair, but the numbers do not work.
在理論層面上這個計畫聽起來很公平，但數字卻兜不攏。
Hadiya wanted real stories, not an abstract discussion of poverty.
Hadiya 想聽真實的故事，而不是關於貧窮的空泛討論。
- theoretical
stronger link to academic theory; less negative
- general
milder; simply not specific
- hypothetical
based on imagined situations rather than real ones
用法筆記
Often paired with 'concrete' or 'practical' as the contrasting term. Distinguish from sense 1: a discussion about chairs can be 'abstract' in this sense (general, not about any one chair), even though chairs themselves are concrete objects.
常見錯誤
3. relating to broad ideas treated on their own, separated from any single real cas
純理論上
撇開現實案例、單就理念而言
relating to broad ideas treated on their own, separated from any single real case where they might apply — used mainly in the fixed phrase 'in the abstract'.
Freedom sounds wonderful in the abstract, but it brings hard duties too.
純理論上自由聽起來很美好，但同時也帶來沉重的責任。
fixed phrase: in the abstract
It is easy to love humanity in the abstract and dislike your neighbours.
純理論上要愛全人類很容易，但討厭隔壁鄰居一樣容易。
fixed phrase: in the abstract
Kenji argued for honesty in the abstract but lied to his boss.
Kenji 在道理上主張誠實，卻對老闆撒了謊。
Talking about courage in the abstract is far easier than showing it.
在理論上談論勇氣，遠比真正展現勇氣容易得多。
- in principle
phrase; means in theory rather than in real life
- in theory
phrase; emphasises the gap between idea and practice
- in practice
phrase; how things actually work out
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the set phrase 'in the abstract'. Outside this phrase, prefer sense 2 ('abstract argument'). Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 modifies the discussion itself; sense 3 frames whether the topic is being treated in isolation from real life.
常見錯誤
4. describing visual art — paintings, drawings, or sculptures — that explores shape
抽象派的
不寫實、用形狀色彩表達的
describing visual art — paintings, drawings, or sculptures — that explores shape, line, and colour for their own beauty or feeling, instead of copying the look of real people, places, or things.
The gallery on Park Street shows abstract paintings full of bold red shapes.
公園街上那家畫廊展出許多以大膽紅色塊為主的抽象畫。
abstract + painting (typical art collocation)
Her grandmother carves small abstract sculptures from pieces of olive wood.
她奶奶用橄欖木雕刻一些小型的抽象雕塑。
Kandinsky is famous for his early abstract art and dancing colours.
Kandinsky 以早期的抽象藝術和跳動的色彩聞名。
Some viewers walked past the abstract canvas, unsure what it showed.
有些觀眾走過那幅抽象畫，看不太懂它在表達什麼。
The school teaches kids abstract painting before strict drawing lessons.
這所學校在嚴格的素描課之前，先教孩子畫抽象畫。
- non-figurative
art-history term; emphasises no recognisable figures
- non-representational
formal art term; does not depict real objects
- figurative
shows recognisable people or things
- representational
tries to copy real-world appearance
用法筆記
Common collocations: abstract art, abstract painting, abstract sculpture, abstract expressionism. Often contrasted with 'figurative' or 'representational' art rather than with 'concrete'.
常見錯誤
abstract — 名詞
1. a short piece of writing placed at the start of an article, paper, or report tha
摘要
論文或報告開頭的重點濃縮
a short piece of writing placed at the start of an article, paper, or report that tells the reader the main findings or arguments in a few sentences.
Each conference paper must include an abstract of under 200 words.
每篇研討會論文都必須附上一篇 200 字以內的摘要。
abstract of [length] words (academic format)
Dr. Farouk read the abstract before deciding to download the full study.
Farouk 醫師會先看摘要，再決定是否下載完整研究。
typical workflow: read abstract first
Hadiya rewrote her abstract three times to fit the journal's word limit.
為了符合期刊字數限制，Hadiya 把摘要重寫了三次。
The book of abstracts lists every talk given at the conference.
這本摘要集列出了研討會上每一場演講。
A clear abstract helps busy readers decide which papers to study closely.
清楚的摘要能幫忙碌的讀者決定要細讀哪幾篇論文。
文法句型
abstract of [paper/article]
用法筆記
Strongly tied to academic and scientific writing. Subject is usually a paper, study, thesis, or talk. Distinguish from a 'summary': an abstract sits inside the paper itself, while a summary can be written about anything.
常見錯誤
2. a piece of art — usually a painting — built from shapes, lines, and colours alon
抽象畫
以形狀色彩構成、不寫實的藝術品
a piece of art — usually a painting — built from shapes, lines, and colours alone, without showing recognisable people, places, or objects.
A bright yellow abstract hangs above the fireplace in Aunt Rosa's lounge.
Aunt Rosa 客廳壁爐上方掛著一幅明黃色的抽象畫。
The museum bought three small abstracts at last month's auction.
美術館上個月在拍賣會上買進三幅小型抽象作品。
Kenji paints landscapes by day and bold abstracts at night.
Kenji 白天畫風景，晚上則創作大膽的抽象作品。
She turned the photograph into a soft blue abstract using thick paint.
她用厚厚的顏料把那張照片改成柔和的藍色抽象畫。
- abstract painting
more explicit; no risk of confusion with the summary sense
- non-figurative work
formal art-history term
- figurative work
art that depicts real subjects
用法筆記
Countable; often appears in plural ('abstracts on the gallery wall'). Frequently modified by colour or size words (a small abstract, a vivid red abstract). Distinguish from sense 1: artworks are visual objects, while abstracts in sense 1 are written texts.
常見錯誤
3. a thought, quality, or condition treated on its own as pure idea, with no link t
抽象概念
脫離具體實例的純粹觀念
a thought, quality, or condition treated on its own as pure idea, with no link to any particular real instance — used mostly in philosophy and academic writing.
For Plato, beauty itself is an abstract that lives beyond every beautiful thing.
對柏拉圖而言，美本身是一種超越所有美麗事物的抽象概念。
The lecturer treats fairness as an abstract worthy of study on its own.
這位講師把公平視為一種值得單獨研究的抽象概念。
Children learn to handle abstracts like number long before they learn algebra.
孩子們早在學代數之前，就學會處理數字這類抽象概念。
Truth, justice, and goodness are the classic abstracts of moral philosophy.
真理、正義與善是道德哲學中經典的抽象概念。
- abstraction
more common in this meaning; usually preferred outside philosophy
- concept
broader; covers everyday ideas as well as pure ones
- universal
philosophy term; a quality shared by many things
- particular
philosophy term; a single real instance
- instance
one real example of a general idea
用法筆記
Rare in everyday speech; you will mostly meet it in philosophy classrooms or essays. Distinguish from sense 1 (a written summary) and sense 2 (a painting): this sense names a pure idea, never a physical text or object.
常見錯誤
abstract — 動詞
1. to look at many real cases and draw out the shared idea or rule from them, while
歸納；抽繹
從眾多細節中找出共同的道理
to look at many real cases and draw out the shared idea or rule from them, while leaving the small details aside.
Good scientists abstract general laws from many separate experiments.
好的科學家會從許多獨立實驗中歸納出通則。
abstract [law] from [data]
Children abstract the idea of 'three' from groups of three apples or coins.
孩子從一組三顆蘋果或三枚硬幣中，歸納出「三」的概念。
abstract [concept] from [examples]
Dr. Park asked the class to abstract the main rule from the case studies.
Park 博士要全班從幾個案例中抽繹出主要的規則。
The book abstracts a clear pattern from a hundred small business failures.
這本書從一百個小生意失敗的故事中歸納出清晰的模式。
Judge Mendez tries to abstract from each victim's story to find the wider pattern.
Mendez 法官試著從每位受害者的故事中抽繹出更廣泛的共同模式。
- generalize
more common; simpler register
- extract
stronger 'pull out' image; can be physical or mental
- derive
formal; suggests careful reasoning from a source
- particularize
to focus on one specific case
- exemplify
to show through a specific example
文法句型
abstract [something] from [details]
用法筆記
Often takes the pattern 'abstract X from Y', where Y is concrete details and X is the general idea. Common in academic, scientific, and philosophical writing. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense draws an idea out of details mentally, while sense 2 physically removes a thing.
常見錯誤
2. to take something or someone out of the place, situation, or set of facts they n
抽離；抽取
把人或物從原情境中分離出來
to take something or someone out of the place, situation, or set of facts they normally belong to, often in order to study or move it elsewhere.
Engineers abstract heat from the engine using a network of cooling pipes.
工程師利用一整套冷卻管路從引擎中抽走熱量。
abstract + heat / water / energy from [system]
You cannot abstract one sentence from the speech and judge the whole talk.
你不能把整場演講中的一句話抽離出來，就評斷整篇談話。
abstract [text] from [context]
The factory abstracts water from the river to cool its huge machines.
工廠從河中抽取河水，用來冷卻巨大的機器。
Critics warn against abstracting old poems from the world that produced them.
評論家警告，不要把古老的詩作從它所誕生的時代背景中抽離。
The nurse gently abstracted the child from the noisy waiting room.
護士輕輕地把那個孩子從吵雜的候診室帶離。
文法句型
abstract [something] from [place/context]
用法筆記
Formal register; you will see it in engineering, environmental, and literary writing more than in casual speech. Often pairs with 'from + context/source'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 pulls a general idea out of details mentally; sense 2 physically or analytically separates something from its surroundings.
常見錯誤
3. to write a short version of a longer paper, article, or report that records its
撰寫摘要
把長篇文章濃縮成摘要
to write a short version of a longer paper, article, or report that records its key findings and arguments for quick reading.
Library staff abstract every new medical study before adding it to the database.
圖書館員會先為每一份新的醫學研究撰寫摘要，再放進資料庫。
abstract + study / paper / report
Hadiya was paid to abstract long legal reports into one-page briefs.
Hadiya 受雇把長篇法律報告濃縮成一頁的摘要。
abstract [report] into [shorter form]
The journal asks authors to abstract their own articles in 150 words.
期刊要求作者用 150 個字為自己的文章撰寫摘要。
Viraj spent his summer abstracting old chemistry papers for the university.
Viraj 整個暑假都在替學校的舊化學論文寫摘要。
Junior researchers must abstract every source they cite in their thesis.
資淺的研究人員必須為論文中引用的每一筆資料撰寫摘要。
文法句型
abstract [a paper/article]
用法筆記
Object is almost always a written work: paper, study, report, article, document. Common in librarianship and academic publishing. Distinguish from sense 1 (drawing out a general idea) and sense 2 (removing something): this sense produces a written summary — the noun 'abstract' (noun sense 1) is its product.
常見錯誤
4. to take something quietly without asking, especially a small or valuable item —
偷取；竊取
悄悄拿走別人的小件物品
to take something quietly without asking, especially a small or valuable item — a polite or old-fashioned word for stealing.
The young clerk had abstracted small sums from the office cash box for months.
那位年輕的職員幾個月來一直從辦公室現金盒裡偷取小額金錢。
abstract + sums / money from [source]
Someone had abstracted the silver spoon from Aunt Rosa's drawer.
有人從 Aunt Rosa 的抽屜裡偷走了那把銀湯匙。
The thief abstracted Noa's wallet while she paid the taxi driver.
Noa 在付計程車費時，被小偷竊取了錢包。
Old reports describe servants abstracting wine from the cellar at night.
舊報告描述僕人們在夜裡從酒窖偷取葡萄酒。
文法句型
abstract [something] from [person/place]
用法筆記
Old-fashioned and slightly polite — often used to soften the harshness of 'steal' in journalism or older fiction. Object is usually a small valuable thing or a sum of money. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 is neutral removal; sense 4 always implies wrongful taking.