distinguish
distinguish — 動詞
1. to recognise the way one person, thing, or idea differs from another; or to be t
區分；辨別
識別兩者差異或凸顯不同
to recognise the way one person, thing, or idea differs from another; or to be the quality that makes that difference clear.
Sana found it hard to distinguish real silk from the cheaper synthetic fabric.
Sana 發現很難區分真絲和較便宜的合成布料。
distinguish + noun + from + noun
What distinguishes Gabriel's paintings is the bold use of colour and light.
Gabriel 的畫作與眾不同的是大膽運用色彩和光線。
distinguishing feature as subject
The teacher asked the children to distinguish between a square and a rectangle.
老師叫孩子們辨別正方形和長方形的不同。
Putri cannot distinguish between Japanese and Korean when she hears them spoken.
Putri 聽別人說話時，無法分辨日語和韓語。
It is the bird's bright yellow beak that distinguishes it from similar species.
這種鳥與其他類似鳥種的區別在於牠亮黃色的喙。
- differentiate
more formal; implies detailed analysis of differences
- tell apart
informal, everyday equivalent; mainly for physical appearance
- set apart
focuses on what makes someone or something exceptional
- confuse
to wrongly think two things are the same
- lump together
informal; to treat different things as one group
文法句型
distinguish + noun + from + noun
distinguish + between + noun + and + noun
用法筆記
This sense works both transitively (distinguish X from Y) and with between (distinguish between X and Y). The between construction is slightly more common in British English. Sense 1 is the only sense that pairs with distinguishing feature, distinguishing characteristic, or distinguishing mark.
常見錯誤
2. to do something with such skill, courage, or excellence that you are noticed and
使…出眾
因卓越表現而受人矚目
to do something with such skill, courage, or excellence that you are noticed and respected for it.
Kian distinguished himself as a talented pianist at the national competition.
Kian 在全國比賽中展現出色的鋼琴才華，因而備受矚目。
distinguish + oneself + as + noun
Élise distinguished herself during the crisis by staying calm and directing the team.
Élise 在危機期間保持冷靜並指揮團隊，表現十分傑出。
distinguish + oneself + by + gerund
The young marine biologist distinguished herself through years of work on coral reef preservation.
這位年輕的海洋生物學家憑藉多年在珊瑚礁保育方面的努力而聲名大噪。
Christopher hopes to distinguish himself in the field of architecture before he turns thirty.
Christopher 希望在三十歲前在建築領域脫穎而出。
- excel at
less formal; emphasises high performance rather than recognition
- shine in
informal; suggests natural talent
- make a name for oneself
idiomatic; focuses on building a reputation over time
- underperform
to do less well than expected
- go unnoticed
to not receive any attention or praise
文法句型
distinguish + oneself + as/in/by/for + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Almost always used reflexively — the object must be a reflexive pronoun (oneself, myself, herself, themselves, etc.). Never used without an object. The subject is always a person or group of people, never an inanimate thing.
常見錯誤
3. to manage to see, hear, or recognise something, especially when it is difficult
辨認
透過感官勉強察覺或識別
to manage to see, hear, or recognise something, especially when it is difficult because of distance, darkness, noise, or poor quality.
Through the thick fog, Zola could just distinguish the outline of a lighthouse.
穿過濃霧，Zola 只能勉強辨認出燈塔的輪廓。
could + distinguish + noun (visual, low visibility)
Abigail could not distinguish the words of the song over the loud crowd noise.
群眾的喧鬧聲太大，Abigail 聽不清楚歌詞。
could not + distinguish + noun (auditory, noise)
From the hilltop, Wren was able to distinguish three ships on the horizon.
從山頂上，Wren 能看見地平線上有三艘船。
Yuna could barely distinguish her mother's face in the dim candlelight.
在昏暗的燭光中，Yuna 幾乎看不清母親的臉。
The recording was so poor that no one could distinguish what the speaker was saying.
錄音品質太差，沒有人聽得清楚演講者在說什麼。
文法句型
can/could + distinguish + noun
be able to + distinguish + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used with can, could, or be able to. The perceptual difficulty — distance, darkness, noise, poor quality — should be stated or clearly implied; without this context the sentence may sound unnatural.