meat
meat — 名詞
1. flesh taken from an animal's body, used as food that people cook and eat
肉
供食用的動物肌肉組織
flesh taken from an animal's body, used as food that people cook and eat
Marta does not eat meat, so I made a vegetable curry for dinner.
Marta 不吃肉，所以我做了蔬菜咖哩當晚餐。
uncountable use — 'eat meat' / 'some meat'
Reuben grilled the meat over charcoal until it was perfectly brown on the outside.
Reuben 用炭火烤肉，直到外皮呈現完美的金褐色。
Lan bought fresh meat from the butcher and marinated it overnight.
Lan 從肉販那裡買了新鮮的肉，醃了一個晚上。
The meat in this stew is so tender that it falls apart with a fork.
這鍋燉肉裡的肉軟嫩到用叉子一撥就散開。
Anthony prefers white meat over red meat for health reasons.
Anthony 基於健康考量，偏好白肉勝過紅肉。
- flesh
more general term covering any animal or human tissue; 'meat' is only for food
- vegetable
plant-based food, opposite of meat in a meal context
用法筆記
Uncountable in this sense — you cannot say 'a meat' when referring to animal flesh in general. 'Meats' (plural) is possible but only means 'types of meat' (see sense 2).
常見錯誤
2. one of the kinds of meat that people eat, for example beef, chicken, or pork
肉類
特定種類的食用肉品
one of the kinds of meat that people eat, for example beef, chicken, or pork
Lamb is a tender meat that goes well with rosemary and garlic.
羊肉是一種軟嫩的肉類，與迷迭香和大蒜很搭。
countable use — 'a tender meat' = a type of meat
The menu offers a choice of three meats: chicken, beef, or fish.
菜單上提供三種肉類可選：雞肉、牛肉或魚肉。
Pork is a versatile meat used in dishes from many different cultures.
豬肉是一種用途很廣的肉類，許多不同文化的菜餚都會用到。
The chef explained that veal is a delicate meat which should not be overcooked.
主廚解釋說小牛肉是一種細緻的肉類，不宜烹調過度。
用法筆記
Countable only when distinguishing one type from another. In everyday conversation, 'What meat is this?' is more common than 'Which meat is this?' — the uncountable form often works even when asking about types.
3. the valuable or meaningful content at the centre of a speech, argument, or piece
精髓
談話或文章中最實質的部分
the valuable or meaningful content at the centre of a speech, argument, or piece of writing
The first hour of the lecture was jokes, but the real meat came in the second hour.
演講的第一個小時都在講笑話，真正的重點在第二個小時。
collocation: 'the meat of' a lecture / argument / report
Ayesha says the meat of the report is in the final chapter about cost savings.
Ayesha 說報告的關鍵在最後一章關於成本節省的部分。
Skip the introduction and read the meat of the article first.
跳過引言，先讀文章的重點部分。
Meera felt the meat of the discussion was about cutting costs, not new products.
Meera 覺得討論的核心在於降低成本，而不是新產品。
- padding
unimportant material added to fill space
文法句型
the meat of [something]
常見錯誤
4. the soft, edible part inside a hard shell of a nut, seed, or fruit
果肉
堅果或果實的可食用軟質部分
the soft, edible part inside a hard shell of a nut, seed, or fruit
Sirin cracked the walnut and picked out the meat with a small fork.
Sirin 敲開核桃，用小叉子挑出果肉。
uncountable: 'the meat' of a single nut
Coconut meat is white and can be eaten raw or used in baking.
椰子肉是白色的，可以生吃或拿來烘焙。
collocation: 'coconut meat'
The meat inside a pistachio shell is small but full of flavour.
開心果殼裡的果肉雖然小，但味道很濃郁。
Soraya roasted the chestnuts and dug the hot meat out of the shells.
Soraya 烤了栗子，把熱騰騰的果肉從殼裡挖出來。
- shell
the hard outer covering that protects the meat
用法筆記
More common for specific nuts (walnut meat, coconut meat) than for general use. For most fruits, 'flesh' is the preferred term ('the flesh of a peach').
5. something that a person enjoys very much or is naturally well suited to — for ex
擅長
某人特別感興趣或拿手的事
something that a person enjoys very much or is naturally well suited to — for example, a topic that someone loves to discuss or an activity they excel at
Debating economic policy is Shirin's meat — she can talk about it for hours.
辯論經濟政策是 Shirin 最拿手的事——她可以聊上好幾個小時。
pattern: '[something] is [someone's] meat'
Complex logic puzzles are exactly the kind of meat Rafael enjoys.
複雜的邏輯謎題正是 Rafael 最喜歡鑽研的那類東西。
Historical fiction has always been Talia's meat since she was a child.
歷史小說從 Talia 小時候就一直是她最愛的題材。
Woodworking is right up Anthony's alley — that craft is his meat.
木工正是 Anthony 的拿手項目——那種工藝他最在行。
- forte
more formal; focuses on skill rather than enjoyment
- cup of tea
more common in modern English; also informal
文法句型
be [someone's] meat
用法筆記
Slightly dated in modern English. More common in fixed phrases such as 'meat and drink to someone'. For everyday conversation, phrases like 'cup of tea' or 'right up someone's alley' are more natural alternatives.