aspiration

aspiration — 名詞

1. a long-term goal or ambition that someone really wants to reach in life or work,

1.名詞C2
釋義

抱負；志向

想要長期達成的人生目標

a long-term goal or ambition that someone really wants to reach in life or work, such as becoming a doctor, opening a bakery, or owning a home.

例句

Wairimu's lifelong aspiration is to become an Olympic swimmer.

瑪雅一生的志向是成為一名奧運游泳選手。

aspiration + to-infinitive

Many young people share the aspiration of buying their first home.

許多年輕人都懷抱買下第一間房子的願望。

aspiration of + -ing form

同義詞
  • ambition

    more everyday and slightly stronger; often suggests a drive to rise in status.

  • dream

    more emotional and personal; can be unrealistic, while 'aspiration' sounds planned.

  • goal

    concrete and shorter-term; less about deep-rooted desire.

反義詞

文法句型

aspiration to + infinitive

aspirations of + -ing

用法筆記

Frequently plural ('aspirations') when describing a person's overall ambitions; singular when naming one specific goal. Often paired with adjectives of scope: 'career', 'political', 'lifelong', 'modest'.

常見錯誤

❌I have a high aspiration to learn piano.
✅I have a strong aspiration to learn piano.
💡collocate with 'strong/great/lifelong', not 'high'.
❌She aspirations to be a writer.
✅She has aspirations to be a writer.
💡'aspiration' is a noun; pair it with 'have' or a similar verb.

2. in medicine, the act of pulling fluid, tissue, or air out of a part of the body

2.名詞
釋義

抽吸；抽出

用針或管子抽出體液或組織的醫療動作

in medicine, the act of pulling fluid, tissue, or air out of a part of the body by sucking it through a needle or tube.

例句

The doctor used a thin needle for the aspiration of fluid from Lily's swollen knee.

醫生用一根細針從莉莉腫脹的膝蓋抽出積液。

aspiration of + body fluid

Aspiration of the cyst showed no signs of cancer.

從囊腫抽出的液體中沒有發現癌細胞跡象。

同義詞
  • drainage

    broader; can use a tube without a needle and may continue over hours.

  • suction

    names the action of sucking; 'aspiration' names the medical procedure.

文法句型

aspiration of + body fluid/tissue

用法筆記

Subject of the action is usually a doctor or nurse; the procedure is named with a body part or fluid in front of 'aspiration' (e.g. 'bone marrow aspiration', 'joint aspiration').

常見錯誤

❌The doctor did an aspiration to my knee.
✅The doctor performed an aspiration on my knee.
💡use 'perform an aspiration on' or 'aspiration of' the body part.

3. in medicine, the dangerous event of accidentally drawing food, liquid, or vomit

3.名詞
釋義

誤吸；嗆入

食物或液體不小心進入肺部

in medicine, the dangerous event of accidentally drawing food, liquid, or vomit down into the lungs while breathing.

例句

Aspiration of vomit is a real danger for unconscious patients lying on their back.

對於仰躺的昏迷病人來說，嘔吐物的誤吸是真實的危險。

aspiration of + substance

The elderly man developed a chest infection caused by aspiration during his meal.

那位老先生因為用餐時誤吸而引發胸腔感染。

同義詞
  • inhalation

    neutral and usually intentional; 'aspiration' here always means an accident.

  • choking

    the food blocks the airway; 'aspiration' means it goes further down into the lungs.

文法句型

aspiration of + substance

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about something accidentally going INTO the lungs; sense 2 is about a clinician taking something OUT of the body. Often appears with 'risk of', 'prevent', and 'cause'.

常見錯誤

❌He had aspiration because he ate too fast.
✅He had an aspiration episode because he ate too fast.
💡for a single event, add a noun like 'episode' or use the verb 'aspirate'.

4. in phonetics, the small puff of breath that you can hear right after certain con

4.名詞
釋義

送氣音

某些子音後面送出的氣流聲

in phonetics, the small puff of breath that you can hear right after certain consonants, for example after the 'p' in the English word 'pin'.

例句

Hold a tissue in front of your mouth and you will feel the aspiration after 'p' in 'pen'.

把一張面紙放在嘴前，你會感覺到 'pen' 中 'p' 後面的送氣。

aspiration after [consonant]

Korean students often need extra practice on English aspiration in word-initial 'k' sounds.

韓國學生常常需要多練習英文字首 'k' 的送氣。

同義詞
  • puff of air

    everyday wording teachers use with beginners.

反義詞
  • non-aspiration

    the absence of the breath, as in French 'p' or Spanish 'p'.

用法筆記

Used in language teaching and phonetics textbooks. Often appears with 'voiceless stops' (p, t, k) and contrasts with 'voicing'. The matching adjective is 'aspirated' (e.g. 'aspirated p').

常見錯誤

❌The aspiration of the word is strong.
✅The aspiration on the initial 'p' is strong.
💡point to a specific sound, not the whole word.