meta
meta — 形容詞
1. describes a book, film, or other creative work that draws attention to itself, i
自我指涉
作品提及自身或自身藝術形式的
describes a book, film, or other creative work that draws attention to itself, its own making, or the medium it belongs to
Élise's play includes a scene where the actors argue with the playwright, making it wonderfully meta.
Élise 的劇有一幕是演員和編劇爭論，讓整部戲變得極度自我指涉。
self-referential structure: art about its own creation
The documentary about making the documentary felt too meta for most viewers.
那部關於紀錄片拍攝過程的紀錄片，對大多數觀眾來說太過自我指涉了。
Sahil wrote a meta novel whose narrator keeps commenting on the act of writing.
Sahil 寫了一部後設小說，敘事者不斷評論寫作這件事。
Critics described the film as deeply meta because its plot mirrors the process of filmmaking.
評論家認為這部電影非常自我指涉，因為它的情節反映了電影製作的過程。
- self-referential
more formal and academic
- self-aware
broader, not limited to creative works
- reflexive
more technical, common in literary theory
- straightforward
lacking self-reference, direct
- conventional
following genre norms without comment
用法筆記
Common in discussions of film, television, and literature. Some consider it informal, but it is widely accepted in modern cultural criticism.
常見錯誤
2. describes a creative work that deliberately shows awareness of the rules, habits
類型自覺
對所屬類型有自覺意識的
describes a creative work that deliberately shows awareness of the rules, habits, or clichés of its own genre or category
The horror film felt meta because the characters kept discussing typical horror movie rules.
那部恐怖片給人一種類型自覺的感覺，因為角色們一直在討論典型的恐怖片規則。
genre awareness: characters discuss genre conventions
Shirin thought the zombie film was meta because the survivors kept arguing about zombie movie rules.
Shirin 覺得那部殭屍片很有類型自覺，因為倖存者一直在爭論殭屍片的規則。
Lan wrote a meta detective story where the thief leaves notes about how mysteries work.
Lan 寫了一部類型自覺的偵探小說，小偷留下的紙條在討論推理故事怎麼寫。
The director's new Western is meta — the cowboys argue about old Western films they have seen.
那位導演的西部新片很有類型自覺——牛仔們在爭論他們看過的西部老片。
- genre-savvy
informal, common in internet culture
- self-conscious
more formal, used in literary analysis
- conventional
follows genre rules without question
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on awareness of genre conventions (e.g., characters in a scary movie discussing how scary movies work), whereas sense 1 involves the work referring to itself or its own medium.
常見錯誤
meta — 慣用語
meta — 字首
1. used before a word to show that the idea of change or transformation is involved
變化
表示變化或轉變的詞綴
used before a word to show that the idea of change or transformation is involved
A caterpillar going through metamorphosis changes completely into a butterfly.
經歷變態的毛毛蟲會完全轉變為蝴蝶。
meta- meaning 'change': metamorphosis = change of shape
Metabolism keeps your body running by changing the food you eat into energy.
新陳代謝讓你的身體持續運作，將吃下的食物轉化為能量。
The students learned how metamorphosis transforms a tadpole into a frog.
學生們學到變態如何讓蝌蚪變成青蛙。
When you eat a meal, your metabolism begins the work of turning it into fuel for your cells.
當你吃下一餐，你的新陳代謝就開始將食物轉化為細胞所需的燃料。
文法句型
meta- + noun (metamorphosis, metabolism)
meta- + adjective (metamorphic)
用法筆記
This is the original Greek meaning of meta-. It appears mostly in scientific terms describing natural processes of change.
2. used before a word to indicate that something goes beyond the usual range, bound
超越
超出正常範圍或界限的詞綴
used before a word to indicate that something goes beyond the usual range, boundaries, or limits of a subject
Metaphysics asks questions that go beyond what science can test or measure.
形上學提出超越科學所能測試或測量範圍的問題。
meta- meaning 'beyond': metaphysics = beyond physics
Metacognition is the ability to think about your own thinking process.
後設認知是指思考自身思考過程的能力。
Nellie studied metacognition to understand how people manage their own learning.
Nellie 研究後設認知，以了解人們如何管理自己的學習。
In comic books, meta-humans have abilities that go far beyond normal human limits.
在漫畫中，超人類擁有遠超普通人類極限的能力。
文法句型
meta- + noun (metaphysics, metacognition)
用法筆記
Most common in academic vocabulary. Words formed with this prefix often name branches of inquiry that examine the foundations of a field (e.g., metaphysics examines the foundations of physics).
3. used before a word to describe something that examines, describes, or operates a
後設
比某學科更全面的高層詞綴
used before a word to describe something that examines, describes, or operates at a higher level than the topic or system itself
Metadata is data that describes other data, such as a photo's date and file size.
後設資料是用來描述其他資料的資料，例如照片的日期和檔案大小。
meta- meaning 'about': metadata = data about data
Metalinguistics is the study of language used to talk about language itself.
後設語言學研究用來談論語言本身的語言。
A metatheory provides a broader framework for understanding several smaller theories.
後設理論提供了一個更全面的架構來理解多個較小的理論。
Programmers use metaprogramming to write code that creates or changes other code.
程式設計師使用後設程式設計來編寫能夠建立或修改其他程式的程式碼。
文法句型
meta- + noun (metadata, metatheory)
meta- + adjective (metalinguistic)
用法筆記
This is the sense most closely related to the adjective senses of 'meta' (self-referential and genre-aware). A 'meta-film' uses the idea of something describing or commenting on its own category.