twain
twain — 數詞
1. An old-fashioned or poetic word meaning two — used before a plural noun to say t
二；兩
古語或詩歌用語，表示「二」
An old-fashioned or poetic word meaning two — used before a plural noun to say that there are two of something.
There were twain knights who guarded the castle gate, as the old tale goes.
根據古老的傳說，有兩名騎士守衛著城堡的大門。
archaic register: used before a plural noun (twain knights)
The ancient manuscript spoke of twain rivers flowing from the same mountain.
那部古老的手稿提到有兩條河流發源於同一座山。
In the story, twain travellers met at a crossroads at midnight.
故事中，兩名旅人在深夜於十字路口相遇。
The poet wrote of twain doves that flew across the battlefield.
詩人寫下了兩隻鴿子飛越戰場的句子。
- two
the standard modern word; use in all everyday contexts
- a couple of
informal; interchangeable with 'two' but slightly less precise
文法句型
twain + plural noun
用法筆記
This use of twain as a determiner (directly before a noun) is extremely rare in modern English. Learners are far more likely to encounter twain as a noun in the fixed phrase 'in twain' or the saying 'never the twain shall meet.'
常見錯誤
twain — 名詞
1. A literary or old-fashioned word for two people or things regarded as a pair — o
一對；成雙
古語指兩個人物，或指「分成兩半」
A literary or old-fashioned word for two people or things regarded as a pair — or (in the phrase 'in twain') meaning into two separate pieces.
A log blocked the path, so Léa split it in twain with an axe.
一根木頭擋住了路，Léa 用一把斧頭把它劈成了兩半。
fixed phrase: in twain (= into two pieces)
The old rhyme tells of the twain, a pair of lovers who were kept apart by war.
古老的歌謠講述了一對戀人因戰爭而被迫分離的故事。
the twain = the pair (people)
Renata tore the letter in twain and threw the halves into the fire.
Renata 把信撕成兩半，將兩片碎片扔進火裡。
The painting showed the twain — a young woman and an old man — at a table.
畫中描繪了兩個人——一名年輕女子和一名老翁——坐在一張桌子旁。
In the legend, the wooden bridge broke in twain as the soldiers crossed it.
傳說中，士兵們過橋時，那座木橋斷成了兩截。
文法句型
the twain (subject/object)
in twain (adverbial phrase)
用法筆記
As a noun, 'twain' appears most often in two kinds of context: (1) the fixed phrase 'in twain' meaning 'into two pieces' (e.g., 'cut in twain,' 'split in twain,' 'torn in twain'), and (2) the well-known saying 'never the twain shall meet,' which refers to two things that are so different they cannot coexist or be reconciled.