pale
pale — 形容詞
1. having a face or skin that looks whiter than is normal for the person — perhaps
蒼白的
臉或皮膚比平常白，因生病、害怕或受驚
having a face or skin that looks whiter than is normal for the person — perhaps from sickness, sudden fear or shock, or because their natural skin tone is light.
Maya looked pale and tired after her long flight from Tokyo.
Maya 從東京飛了長途班機回來後，看起來臉色蒼白又疲倦。
look + pale (predicative, after linking verb)
The little boy turned pale when the doctor brought out a needle.
醫生拿出針的時候，那個小男孩臉色一下子發白。
turn pale (with cause)
Mr. Chen has a pale, freckled face that burns easily in the sun.
Chen 先生有一張白皙、長著雀斑的臉，曬太陽很容易曬傷。
Lina went pale with fear when she heard footsteps behind her.
Lina 聽到身後的腳步聲，嚇得臉色發白。
Carlos was so pale that his mother thought he had a fever.
Carlos 臉色蒼白到他媽媽以為他發燒了。
文法句型
pale with [emotion]
go/turn pale
用法筆記
Subject is almost always a person, a face, or skin. Common patterns are 'go/turn pale' for a sudden change, and 'pale with [fear/shock/anger]' to name the cause. Distinguish from sense 2, which describes the lightness of any colour or light, not skin tone.
常見錯誤
2. of a colour: soft and close to white rather than rich or vivid; of a light: weak
淺色；淡的
顏色帶白、不鮮豔，或光線不強
of a colour: soft and close to white rather than rich or vivid; of a light: weak or dim instead of strong.
Sarah painted her bedroom walls a pale blue with white trim.
Sarah 把臥室牆壁漆成淺藍色，邊條漆白色。
pale + colour name
The morning sky was a pale pink above the mountains.
山的上方，清晨的天空是一片淡淡的粉紅色。
describing soft colour in nature
Hugo wore a pale yellow shirt to the summer wedding.
Hugo 穿著一件淺黃色的襯衫去參加夏天的婚禮。
A pale moon rose slowly over the quiet harbour.
一輪淡淡的月亮慢慢從寧靜的港口上方升起。
The lamp gave off a pale light that barely reached the corners of the room.
那盞燈發出微弱的光，幾乎照不到房間的角落。
文法句型
pale + colour
a pale [colour]
用法筆記
Use before colour words ('a pale blue', 'pale green') or before words for sources of light ('a pale moon', 'pale sunlight'). With light, 'pale' means weak or dim. Distinguish from sense 1, which only applies to skin or faces.
常見錯誤
pale — 動詞
1. of a person or face: to suddenly become whiter than usual, often because of fear
臉色發白
因驚嚇或害怕而臉色突然變白
of a person or face: to suddenly become whiter than usual, often because of fear, shock, or bad news.
Marcus paled at the sight of the broken window in his car.
Marcus 看到自己車子的窗戶被打破，臉色一下子發白。
pale at the sight of [something]
Aunt Rosa paled when the nurse said the name of the hospital.
護士說出那家醫院的名字時，Rosa 阿姨臉色變得蒼白。
subject + pale + when-clause (cause)
His mother's face paled as she read the letter from the school.
他媽媽讀著學校寄來的那封信，臉色越來越白。
Lina paled at the thought of speaking in front of the whole school.
一想到要在全校面前說話，Lina 的臉色就發白了。
文法句型
[person/face] pales
pale at the sight/thought/mention of
用法筆記
Intransitive only — you cannot 'pale someone' in modern English. Subject is a person, a face, or skin. Often used in writing to suggest a strong emotional reaction; in everyday speech, 'go pale' or 'turn pale' is more common.
常見錯誤
pale — 名詞
1. a fence built from a row of strong wooden posts that have a sharp point at the t
尖樁籬笆
用尖頭木樁排成一列做成的圍籬
a fence built from a row of strong wooden posts that have a sharp point at the top.
The old farmhouse was protected by a tall pale around the garden.
那座老農舍由一道高高的尖樁籬笆圍著花園保護著。
noun: a pale (= the whole fence)
Workers replaced the rotten pale at the back of the church grounds.
工人把教堂後方那道腐爛的尖樁籬笆換掉了。
subject of action: replacing a pale
A wooden pale once surrounded the small village to keep wolves out.
從前一道木製的尖樁籬笆圍著這個小村莊，用來擋野狼。
Inside the castle yard, a sturdy pale kept the sheep safe at night.
在城堡的院子裡，一道堅固的尖樁籬笆讓羊群整夜都很安全。
用法筆記
Rare in modern English; you are more likely to see 'paling' or 'palisade' for the fence. Often appears in historical or literary writing about old farms, villages, or castles. Distinguish from sense 2, which is one single stake, not the whole fence.
2. one of the strong wooden sticks with a sharp point at the top, used to build a f
尖頭木樁
做籬笆用、頂端削尖的木棍
one of the strong wooden sticks with a sharp point at the top, used to build a fence of this kind.
Each pale was driven deep into the soil with a heavy wooden mallet.
每根尖頭木樁都用沉重的木槌深深打入泥土裡。
passive: a pale is driven into the ground
The carpenter sharpened the top of every pale before nailing them together.
木匠在把每根木樁釘起來之前，先把頂端削尖。
every pale (countable, plural use)
Two pales had snapped in the storm, leaving a gap in the fence.
暴風雨中有兩根木樁折斷了，籬笆出現一個缺口。
Marcus tied a rope between three tall pales to mark the edge of his field.
Marcus 在三根高大的木樁之間綁上一條繩子，用來標出田地的邊界。
用法筆記
Countable; the plural 'pales' is common in this sense. Distinguish from sense 1: a pale (this sense) is one stake, but the whole fence made of many such stakes is also called 'a pale' in older usage.
3. the region close to Dublin in Ireland that the English ruled during the medieval
都柏林管轄區
中世紀英格蘭統治的都柏林周邊地區
the region close to Dublin in Ireland that the English ruled during the medieval period.
In the fifteenth century, English law was followed mainly inside the Pale.
在十五世紀，主要在 the Pale 範圍內才會遵行英格蘭的法律。
the Pale (capitalised, with 'the')
Many Irish lords lived just beyond the Pale and resisted English rule.
許多愛爾蘭領主住在 the Pale 之外，並且抵抗英格蘭的統治。
beyond the Pale (geographical, literal sense)
Professor O'Brien showed how by 1488 the Pale had shrunk to four small coastal counties.
O'Brien 教授說明到了 1488 年，the Pale 已經縮小成四個沿海的小郡。
Merchants travelled to towns within the Pale to sell wool and salted fish.
商人到 the Pale 範圍內的城鎮裡賣羊毛和醃魚。
文法句型
the Pale
用法筆記
Always written with a capital P and with 'the'. Found in books and articles about Irish history. The phrase 'beyond the pale' meaning 'unacceptable' comes from this geographical sense, but is now used figuratively.
4. the area or limits inside which a person is safe, accepted, or under someone's r
範圍；界限
可接受、受保護或受管轄的範圍
the area or limits inside which a person is safe, accepted, or under someone's rule — for example, the boundary of polite behaviour or of a country's authority.
Shouting at the waiter in front of the children was beyond the pale.
在小孩面前對服務生大吼大叫的行為，已經太過分、令人無法接受。
beyond the pale (= outside acceptable behaviour)
Within the pale of the new treaty, both armies agreed to stop fighting.
在新條約的範圍之內，兩邊的軍隊都同意停止作戰。
within the pale of [authority]
The judge said cheating on this scale was clearly beyond the pale of the law.
法官表示，這種規模的作弊行為顯然已經超出法律所能容忍的界限。
Mocking a grieving family is beyond the pale, no matter who you are.
嘲笑一個正在悲傷中的家庭，不管你是誰都已經太過分。
- boundary
everyday word for a line marking the limits of something
- limits
common; what is allowed or acceptable
- jurisdiction
formal; the area where a court or authority has power
文法句型
beyond the pale
within the pale of
用法筆記
Almost always appears in fixed phrases: 'beyond the pale' (most common; meaning 'unacceptable') or 'within the pale of [something]'. Formal and somewhat literary. Don't use this sense alone without one of these phrases.