protagonist
protagonist — 名詞
1. The central person in a story, film, play, or novel whose choices and experience
主角
故事、電影中的核心人物
The central person in a story, film, play, or novel whose choices and experiences form the main thread of the plot.
Yumi is the protagonist of the novel, a young woman searching for her missing father.
Yumi 是這本小說的主角，一位尋找失蹤父親的年輕女性。
countable noun, used with 'the' or possessive
The film's protagonist must decide between staying with her family or chasing her dream abroad.
電影的主角必須在留在家人身邊和出國追逐夢想之間做出選擇。
Readers connect with the protagonist because the author reveals her fears and hopes so honestly.
讀者會對主角產生共鳴，因為作者如此誠實地展現了她的恐懼與希望。
The novel's protagonist gradually learns to trust the people around her after years of betrayal.
小說中的主角在經歷多年的背叛後，逐漸學會信任身邊的人。
- hero
implies moral courage or admirable qualities; a protagonist can be flawed or unlikeable
- lead
more common in film and theatre; shorter and more informal
- main character
more neutral and descriptive; avoids the literary tone of 'protagonist'
- antagonist
the character who opposes the protagonist
用法筆記
Often preceded by 'the' or a possessive (the story's protagonist). Unlike 'hero', a protagonist does not need to be admirable or virtuous.
常見錯誤
2. A person who actively supports a particular idea, political system, or movement
倡導者
積極支持某種思想或運動的人
A person who actively supports a particular idea, political system, or movement and works to advance it.
Arjun became a leading protagonist of the environmental movement after a local oil spill.
在一次當地油污事件後，Arjun 成了環保運動的主要倡導者。
countable noun + of + cause/movement
The senator is a protagonist of education reform in rural communities across the state.
這位參議員是全州偏鄉地區教育改革的主要倡導者。
Several young protagonists of the peace campaign organized rallies that drew thousands of supporters.
幾位和平運動的年輕倡導者在全國各地組織了吸引數千名支持者的集會。
Nadia emerged as a protagonist of workers' rights during the tense factory negotiations last winter.
Nadia 在去年冬天緊張的工廠談判中成為勞工權益的主要倡導者。
- opponent
someone who actively argues against an idea or policy
用法筆記
Followed by 'of' + the cause, movement, or policy. Common in journalism and academic writing. More active than 'supporter' — implies personal effort to promote the idea.
3. A person who plays an active role in a real-world situation, competition, or con
要角；參與者
在事件或競爭中扮演關鍵角色的人
A person who plays an active role in a real-world situation, competition, or conflict and helps shape its outcome.
The key protagonists in the negotiation worked through the terms for six hours.
談判的幾位主要參與者花了六個小時討論條款。
plural: protagonists in + event
Eli was a protagonist in the championship match, scoring the winning goal in overtime.
Eli 是冠軍賽的參賽要角，在延長賽踢進了致勝球。
Both protagonists in the debate presented well-researched arguments for their opposing positions.
辯論的兩位主要參與者都為各自的立場提出了論據充分的觀點。
The main protagonists of the conflict agreed to a ceasefire after months of international pressure.
在數月的國際壓力下，這場衝突的主要參與者終於同意停火。
- participant
broader and more neutral; does not imply a leading or central role
- contender
specifically suggests a competition or contest
- key figure
emphasises importance without the literary or dramatic tone
用法筆記
Often used in the plural (protagonists) to refer to the main figures on opposing sides of a real-world event. Less common than sense 1; mostly appears in journalism and formal analysis.