portray

portray — 動詞

1. to create a picture or artistic description of a person, place, or thing.

1.動詞及物C2
釋義

描繪

以圖像或文藝呈現形象

to create a picture or artistic description of a person, place, or thing.

例句

A young artist portrayed her grandfather with a soft smile and tired eyes.

一位年輕畫家把祖父描繪成帶著柔和微笑、眼神疲憊的模樣。

portray + person in a painting

The mural portrays market women carrying fruit through the old town square.

那幅壁畫描繪了老城廣場裡提著水果走動的市場婦女。

portray + scene in visual art

同義詞
  • depict

    slightly more formal; especially common for visual or detailed representation

  • describe

    broader and more neutral; not always artistic

  • illustrate

    often used for drawings added to explain a text

文法句型

portray + person/place/thing

portray + scene in art or writing

用法筆記

Object is the person, place, or thing shown. Unlike sense 2, this sense does not need an extra judgment such as 'as cruel' or 'as brave'.

常見錯誤

❌The artist portrayed about village life.
✅The artist portrayed village life.
💡'portray' takes a direct object, not 'about'.

2. to make a person, group, or situation seem to have certain qualities when it is

2.動詞及物C2
釋義

塑造成

把對象寫成某種樣子

to make a person, group, or situation seem to have certain qualities when it is shown or discussed.

例句

The article portrayed the coach as cold, ignoring his work with local children.

那篇文章把教練塑造成冷淡的人，卻忽略了他對當地孩子的付出。

portray + someone as + adjective

In the film, the city is portrayed as a place of easy money.

在那部電影裡，這座城市被描寫成一個很容易賺到錢的地方。

passive: be portrayed as + noun phrase

同義詞
  • present

    broader and more neutral; common for information or arguments as well as people

  • characterize

    more analytical; focuses on naming a quality

  • paint

    vivid and less formal in this figurative meaning, as in 'paint someone as selfish'

文法句型

portray + somebody/something + as + noun/adjective

be portrayed as + noun/adjective

用法筆記

Often followed by 'as' plus a noun or adjective, and frequently passive. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense adds an angle or judgment about what the person or thing is like.

常見錯誤

❌The article portrayed him to be a hero.
✅The article portrayed him as a hero.
💡use 'as', not 'to be', after this sense.

3. to perform the part of a particular character or real person in a film, play, or

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

飾演

在影劇中扮演角色

to perform the part of a particular character or real person in a film, play, or other show.

例句

In the new series, Aya portrays a doctor who hides a family secret.

在這部新影集中，Aya 飾演一名藏著家庭秘密的醫師。

actor + portray + role on screen

Daniel portrayed Hamlet on stage during the school arts festival.

Daniel 在學校藝術節的舞台上飾演哈姆雷特。

portray + named character on stage

同義詞
  • play

    the most common everyday verb for acting a role

  • act

    broader; can mean perform generally, not only a specific role

  • embody

    more literary; stresses fully expressing the character

文法句型

portray + character/person in a film or play

be portrayed by + actor

用法筆記

Used for actors and performers. The object is the character or real person acted, not the title of the film or play.

常見錯誤

❌She portrayed in a famous TV series.
✅She portrayed a nurse in a famous TV series.
💡name the character or role as the object.