counterbalance
counterbalance — 動詞
- counterbalancepresent simple I / you / we / they
- counterbalanceshe / she / it
- counterbalancedpast simple
- counterbalancing-ing form
1. to reduce the effect of something by having an equally strong opposite force or
抵消；制衡
以同等力量抵消
to reduce the effect of something by having an equally strong opposite force or influence — for example, a strict teacher's approach being counterbalanced by a more lenient colleague's style, or the calories in a meal being counterbalanced by exercise.
Adina's calm, patient manner helped counterbalance her coworker's quick temper during team meetings.
Adina 冷靜耐心的態度，在團隊會議中恰好抵消了她同事急躁的脾氣。
counterbalance + noun phrase: manner counterbalances temper
Eating a large dessert can counterbalance the health benefits of an otherwise light salad.
吃一大份甜點，足以抵消一份清淡沙拉的健康益處。
The company's strong sales in Asia counterbalanced weak performance in its European markets.
該公司在亞洲的強勁銷售，抵消了歐洲市場的疲軟表現。
A fair tax system uses higher rates on the wealthy to counterbalance the burden on poorer families.
公平的稅制對富人課徵較高稅率，以抵消貧困家庭的負擔。
Quan hoped that his volunteer work would counterbalance the environmental damage caused by his daily commute.
Quan 希望自己的志工工作能抵消每天通勤對環境造成的損害。
- offset
more common in everyday use; 'offset' often refers to financial or numerical balance
- balance out
informal phrasal verb; suggests a natural evening of effects rather than deliberate action
- neutralise
stronger; implies completely cancelling the effect rather than just reducing it
文法句型
counterbalance + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used with abstract nouns as the subject and object — forces, effects, influences, trends — rather than with physical objects.
常見錯誤
counterbalance — 名詞
- counterbalancesingular
- counterbalancesplural
1. a person, thing, or force that has an equally strong opposite influence, keeping
制衡力量
能平衡或抵銷的因子
a person, thing, or force that has an equally strong opposite influence, keeping a system, relationship, or situation from becoming too extreme or one-sided.
A free press acts as a vital counterbalance to the power of the government.
新聞自由是制衡政府權力的重要力量。
act as a counterbalance to + noun phrase
Piotr keeps a savings account as a counterbalance to the riskier investments in his portfolio.
Piotr 保留一筆儲蓄存款，作為投資組合中高風險項目的制衡力量。
The older, more conservative members of the committee provided a useful counterbalance to the younger reformers.
委員會中較年長、較保守的成員，對年輕的改革派提供了有效的制衡。
International law can serve as a counterbalance when a powerful nation acts unfairly toward a smaller one.
當強國對小國採取不公平手段時，國際法可以扮演制衡的角色。
A short walk after sitting at a desk all day can be an effective counterbalance to a sedentary routine.
整天坐在辦公桌後，起身散步片刻，是對抗久坐靜態生活型態的有效制衡力量。
- offset
can be used as a noun too, but 'counterbalance' emphasises the idea of preventing extremes
- check
formal; suggests a limitation or restraint rather than an equal opposing force
- equilibrium
describes the resulting state of balance, not the balancing agent itself
- imbalance
a lack of balance or symmetry
- tipping factor
something that pushes a system toward one extreme
文法句型
a counterbalance to + noun phrase
act as a counterbalance
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'to' when specifying what is being balanced. Can be used with concrete nouns (a physical weight) but is far more common with abstract nouns (power, influence, risk).