revelation

revelation — 名詞

1. a piece of information that was previously kept hidden and is now made known to

1.名詞B2
釋義

揭露；洩露

隱藏的事實被公開

a piece of information that was previously kept hidden and is now made known to others, or the moment when such information comes to light

例句

The diary contained shocking revelations about Quinn's childhood that no one had suspected.

Quinn 的日記裡記錄了關於他童年的驚人揭露，之前沒有人懷疑過。

revelation + about + noun phrase

Xiu's sudden revelation that she was moving to Japan took the whole team by surprise.

Xiu 突然透露她要搬到日本，讓整個團隊都很驚訝。

revelation + that-clause

同義詞
  • disclosure

    more neutral and formal, often used in legal or business contexts

  • bombshell

    informal and dramatic, suggesting a shocking revelation

  • exposé

    specifically refers to the revelation of wrongdoing, often after investigation

反義詞
  • secret

    something kept hidden rather than revealed

文法句型

revelation + that-clause

revelation + about + noun

用法筆記

Frequently paired with adjectives like 'shocking', 'startling', 'bombshell' to emphasise the surprising nature of what is revealed. Can be both countable ('a revelation') and uncountable ('full revelation').

常見錯誤

❌The report contained many revolutions about the case.
✅The report contained many revelations about the case.
💡'revelation' means something made known; 'revolution' means a complete change or uprising.

2. someone or something that surprises you because they turn out to be far better,

2.名詞B2
釋義

驚喜

遠超預期的驚人發現

someone or something that surprises you because they turn out to be far better, more impressive, or more enjoyable than you had expected

例句

The tiny bakery on the corner was a revelation — Kemi had never tasted bread so fresh.

街角那間小烘焙坊真是個驚喜——Kemi 從沒吃過那麼新鮮的麵包。

pattern: [noun] + was a revelation

Élise disliked modern art, but the gallery visit was a complete revelation.

Élise 原本不喜歡現代藝術，但那次畫廊之旅完全是個驚喜。

complete revelation — intensifier used with this sense

同義詞
  • eye-opener

    more informal; can describe both pleasant and unpleasant surprises

  • epiphany

    suggests a sudden, profound insight, often intellectual or spiritual rather than merely pleasant

反義詞

文法句型

noun + is/was + a revelation

用法筆記

Almost always used in the singular pattern 'X is/was a revelation'. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not take a that-clause — you would not say 'it was a revelation that...' for this meaning. The pleasant connotation is built into the sense; adding 'pleasant' is redundant.

常見錯誤

❌The movie was a complete revelation that I had never expected.
✅The movie was a complete revelation
💡I had never expected it to be so good.' — This sense does not take a that-clause; use a dash or separate sentence instead.

3. a truth, message, or piece of knowledge believed to be communicated directly fro

3.名詞C1
釋義

啟示；天啟

來自神靈的真理傳達

a truth, message, or piece of knowledge believed to be communicated directly from a divine being or supernatural source to a human

例句

According to tradition, the prophet received a revelation from God while meditating in the desert.

據傳統記載，這位先知在沙漠中冥想時，從神那裡得到了啟示。

revelation + from + divine source

Soraya sat beside her grandmother reciting the Quran and felt each verse as divine revelation.

Soraya 坐在祖母身邊聽她誦讀《古蘭經》，並感受到每一節經文都是神聖啟示。

uncountable: divine revelation as a concept

同義詞
  • divine inspiration

    emphasises the spiritual source of the insight

  • prophecy

    specifically a revelation about future events

  • vision

    a revelation experienced as a visual image or dream

文法句型

revelation + from + noun

revelation + about + noun

用法筆記

When capitalised ('the Revelation of St John' or 'the Book of Revelation'), it refers specifically to the last book of the Christian New Testament — that is a proper-noun use, separate from the general sense described here.

常見錯誤

❌He had a revelation from God about what to eat for breakfast.
✅He had a revelation from God about the purpose of human life.
💡This sense is reserved for profound spiritual truths; trivial everyday topics sound odd with this meaning.