weak
weak — 形容詞
1. having little physical power or energy, so that your body cannot make much effor
虛弱的
身體無力或缺乏體力的
having little physical power or energy, so that your body cannot make much effort, carry heavy things, or fight illness well.
After three days with the flu, Lan felt too weak to walk to the kitchen.
得了三天流感之後，Lan 虛弱到連走去廚房的力氣都沒有。
collocation: feel weak + too weak to + infinitive
After running up five flights of stairs, Mateo's legs were too weak to carry him any further.
一口氣爬了五層樓梯後，Mateo 的雙腿虛弱得再也走不動了。
collocation: body part + too weak to + infinitive
Ayesha's legs felt weak after she ran the full ten-kilometre race.
Ayesha 跑完十公里賽跑後，雙腿感到非常虛弱。
The puppy was born very weak and needed special milk from the vet.
那隻小狗出生時非常虛弱，需要獸醫提供特別的牛奶。
Jude lifted weights every day so his arms would not stay weak.
Jude 每天舉重，這樣他的手臂才不會一直沒力氣。
文法句型
weak + noun
too weak to + infinitive
feel/look/sound weak
用法筆記
Frequently used after verbs of bodily sensation such as feel, look, or sound. Often intensified with very or too in descriptions of illness or exhaustion.
常見錯誤
2. not having the strength of mind to make your own decisions, say no to others, or
軟弱的
性格不堅定，易受人影響
not having the strength of mind to make your own decisions, say no to others, or lead people firmly.
The manager was too weak to tell staff when their work was not good enough.
那位主管太軟弱，不敢告訴員工他們的工作表現不夠好。
too weak to + infinitive (character sense)
Bilal felt weak for agreeing to write his friend's homework just to avoid an argument.
Bilal 覺得自己很軟弱，因為他為了避免爭吵而答應幫朋友寫作業。
A weak leader who cannot say no often loses the respect of the whole team.
一個無法拒絕別人的軟弱領導者，往往會失去整個團隊的尊重。
Soraya called her brother weak for giving in to every demand from his children.
Soraya 罵她弟弟軟弱，因為他對自己孩子的要求總是照單全收。
Andrew knew it was weak to cancel his plans just because his friend disagreed.
Andrew 知道只因為朋友不同意就取消自己的計畫，是很軟弱的表現。
- spineless
more informal and insulting, suggests a complete lack of courage
- timid
focuses on shyness and fear rather than lack of willpower
- submissive
suggests willingly obeying others, not necessarily weak-willed
- strong-willed
having firm determination and resolve
- assertive
expressing opinions confidently without aggression
文法句型
weak + noun (leader, person, character)
too weak to + infinitive
用法筆記
Common after too...to constructions. Can be used as an adjective describing either a person or their actions (a weak decision, a weak response).
常見錯誤
3. not strong or convincing enough to make people believe or accept what you are sa
無力的
論證或藉口缺乏說服力
not strong or convincing enough to make people believe or accept what you are saying.
Carlos gave a weak excuse that his manager did not believe for a second.
Carlos 找了一個很牽強的遲到藉口，他的主管一秒鐘都不相信。
attributive: weak excuse
The lawyer pointed out several weak points in the story that the witness told.
律師指出了證人說詞中的好幾個薄弱環節。
collocation: weak point / weak spot
Andrew's argument for leaving the team was based on very weak evidence.
Andrew 主張離隊的理由建立在非常薄弱的證據上。
Iris knew her reasons were weak when even her best friend disagreed.
Iris 知道自己的理由很牽強，因為連她最好的朋友都不認同。
The teacher rejected the project proposal because the research behind it was weak.
老師駁回了那項專題提案，因為背後的研究基礎太薄弱。
- unconvincing
direct synonym, more formal, focuses on the listener's reaction
- flimsy
suggests the excuse or argument is clearly insubstantial, almost transparently false
- feeble
stronger criticism, suggests the argument is laughably weak
- convincing
persuasive and believable
- strong
well-supported and difficult to argue against
文法句型
weak + noun (argument, excuse, reason, evidence)
weak point / weak spot
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively (before a noun like argument, excuse, reason, or evidence) or predicatively with the subject being an argument or claim. The noun explains what is unconvincing.
常見錯誤
4. (of a drink) containing much more water than the main ingredient, so the taste i
淡的
飲料含水量多、味道不濃
(of a drink) containing much more water than the main ingredient, so the taste is not strong.
Mira complained that the coffee was so weak it tasted like warm brown water.
Mira 抱怨咖啡太淡，喝起來像加了顏色的溫水。
collocation: weak coffee
The restaurant served weak tea that had almost no flavour at all.
那家餐廳提供的茶太淡，幾乎一點味道都沒有。
collocation: weak tea
Lan prefers weak orange juice because she does not like very sour drinks.
Lan 比較喜歡淡一點的柳橙汁，因為她不愛喝很酸的飲料。
The children complained that the lemonade was too weak and asked for more syrup to be added.
孩子們抱怨檸檬水太淡，要求多加一點糖漿。
The bar sold a weak beer that tasted mostly of fizzy water.
那間酒吧賣的啤酒很淡，喝起來大部分像是加了氣的水。
- strong
having a rich, concentrated flavour
- concentrated
full-strength, not diluted
文法句型
weak + noun (tea, coffee, beer, juice)
用法筆記
Commonly used with hot drinks (tea, coffee) and alcoholic drinks (beer). The opposite is strong. In cooking contexts, weak can also describe broth or soup.
常見錯誤
5. (in chemistry) releasing only a small number of charged particles (ions) when di
弱性
化學中離子化程度低的
(in chemistry) releasing only a small number of charged particles (ions) when dissolved in water, so the chemical reaction is mild.
Vinegar contains a weak acid that is safe to use in salad dressing.
醋含有一種弱酸，用來做沙拉醬很安全。
collocation: weak acid
In the lab, the students tested how weak acids react with different metals.
在實驗室裡，學生們測試了弱酸與不同金屬的反應。
Unlike strong acids, a weak acid does not burn or damage human skin right away.
與強酸不同，弱酸不會立刻灼傷或損壞人體皮膚。
Élise learned that weak bases are often found in household cleaning products.
Élise 學到家用清潔產品中經常含有弱鹼。
The chemistry teacher explained why a weak alkali produces fewer hydroxide ions.
化學老師解釋了為什麼弱鹼產生的氫氧根離子較少。
- strong
(of acid/base) fully ionising in solution
文法句型
weak + noun (acid, base, alkali, solution)
用法筆記
A technical term in chemistry. The opposite is strong (strong acid, strong base). The degree of ionisation, not the concentration, determines whether an acid or base is weak.
常見錯誤
6. not performing or working as well as people normally expect in a particular area
薄弱的
能力或品質未達標準
not performing or working as well as people normally expect in a particular area.
Maths has always been Iris's weakest subject at school.
數學一直是 Iris 在學校裡最薄弱的科目。
superlative: weakest subject
The team's defense was weak, so the other side scored three goals easily.
該球隊的防守很弱，對手輕鬆就進了三分。
Lakan gave a weak performance in the piano recital and felt very disappointed.
Lakan 在鋼琴發表會上表現欠佳，感到非常失望。
A weak spot in the company's business plan was discovered too late to fix.
該公司商業計畫中的一個弱點被發現時已經來不及補救了。
The English department is weak in teaching writing skills, according to the survey.
根據調查，英語系在寫作教學方面比較薄弱。
- poor
more direct and general, can describe quality without implying comparison
- inadequate
more formal, suggests failure to meet a required standard
- unsatisfactory
focuses on not meeting expectations rather than lack of skill
文法句型
weak + noun (subject, performance, area, link)
weakest + noun
weak in/at + noun phrase
用法筆記
Can describe a person, a team, or an area of work. When describing a person, prefer 'weak in/at [area]' rather than just 'weak' to avoid confusion with the character sense (sense 2).
常見錯誤
7. describes a chin that is small and slopes backward toward the neck instead of pr
內縮的
形容下巴短小、向後縮的
describes a chin that is small and slopes backward toward the neck instead of projecting forward from the face.
Eve's weak chin made her face look rounder than she wanted.
Eve 的內縮下巴讓她的臉看起來比她希望的更圓。
The dentist explained that a weak chin can affect how the upper and lower teeth meet.
牙醫解釋說，內縮下巴可能會影響上下排牙齒的咬合。
collocation: weak chin + dental/medical context
Jabari grew a short beard to balance the appearance of his weak chin.
Jabari 留了短鬍鬚來平衡內縮下巴的外觀。
From the side, the model's weak chin made her jawline look less defined.
從側面看，那名模特兒的內縮下巴讓她的下顎線條較不明顯。
8. lacking the ability to think clearly, understand ideas, or learn new things quic
理解力差的
形容理解或思考能力不足的
lacking the ability to think clearly, understand ideas, or learn new things quickly.
The student's weak grasp of basic math made the advanced class very difficult.
那位學生對基礎數學的理解力很差，導致進階課程學起來非常吃力。
collocation: weak grasp of [subject]
Aarav's weak understanding of the safety rules nearly caused an accident in the lab.
Aarav 對安全規則的理解不足，差點在實驗室裡造成意外。
Priya's weak performance on the final exam surprised her parents and teachers alike.
Priya 期末考表現欠佳，讓她的父母和老師都感到驚訝。
The committee rejected the proposal because of its weak logic and missing evidence.
委員會因為提案邏輯薄弱且缺乏證據而予以否決。
用法筆記
Applied directly to a person ('He is weak') can sound insulting; it is often better to describe their reasoning, grasp, or performance instead.
常見錯誤
9. not strong or intense enough to be easily seen, heard, felt, smelled, or noticed
微弱的
形容光線、聲音等微弱不易察覺的
not strong or intense enough to be easily seen, heard, felt, smelled, or noticed by the senses.
A weak light came through the curtains just before sunrise.
微弱的光線在日出前從窗簾縫中透進來。
collocation: weak light
Nellie heard a weak knock at the door but did not get up to answer it.
Nellie 聽到門外傳來微弱的敲門聲，但沒有起身去應門。
The radio signal was too weak to pick up any stations in the mountain cabin.
山間小屋裡的無線電訊號太微弱，收不到任何電台。
A weak smell of burned toast hung in the kitchen after breakfast.
早餐後，廚房裡殘留著一股淡淡的烤土司焦味。
The old flashlight produced only a weak beam that barely lit the path ahead.
那支舊手電筒只能發出微弱的光束，勉強照亮前方的路。
用法筆記
Often used with sensory nouns: weak light, weak sound, weak smell, weak signal. The opposite is strong or bright (for light) or loud (for sound).
常見錯誤
10. in linguistics, describing a verb whose past-tense and past-participle forms are
規則變化的
指動詞以規則詞尾變化的
in linguistics, describing a verb whose past-tense and past-participle forms are built with a suffix such as -ed, -d, or -t placed at the end, rather than through a change in the vowel.
The verb 'walk' is a weak verb because its past form 'walked' takes the regular -ed ending.
動詞 walk 是規則變化動詞，因為它的過去式 walked 加了規則字尾 -ed。
pattern: weak verb marked by -ed/-d/-t ending
Most new English verbs enter the language as weak verbs because the regular pattern is easier to follow.
大多數新進入英語的動詞都屬於規則變化，因為這種變化模式比較容易遵循。
Joaquín found weak verbs easier to learn than strong ones because the past tense did not change the vowel.
Joaquín 覺得規則變化動詞比不規則變化動詞容易學，因為過去式不需要改變母音。
In grammar lessons, weak verbs are often called regular verbs and strong verbs are called irregular.
在文法課上，規則變化動詞常被稱為「規則動詞」，而強變化動詞則稱為「不規則動詞」。
- regular
the everyday term used in school grammar
用法筆記
This is a technical term in linguistics. In English-language classrooms, weak verbs are more commonly called 'regular verbs.'
常見錯誤
11. describes a word or syllable that is not stressed when spoken naturally, so that
輕聲的
指音節或字詞不重讀、母音弱化的
describes a word or syllable that is not stressed when spoken naturally, so that its vowel sound becomes shorter or less clear.
In the phrase 'fish and chips,' the word 'and' takes its weak form and sounds like /n/.
在 fish and chips 這個片語中，and 一詞以輕聲形式出現，發音類似 /n/。
pattern: weak form of function words in connected speech
The weak form of the word 'to' sounds like /tə/ before a consonant.
to 的輕聲形式在子音前聽起來像 /tə/。
Femi struggled to hear the weak vowel in the middle of the long sentence.
Femi 很難聽出那個長句子中間的輕聲母音。
Learners of English often need practice recognizing weak forms in fast, natural speech.
學英文的人經常需要練習在快速的自然對話中辨識輕聲形式。
- unstressed
broader term; applies to any syllable that receives no stress, whether or not the vowel is reduced
- reduced
focuses on the shortening or weakening of the vowel sound itself
用法筆記
This term belongs to phonetics and phonology. Weak forms are most common for function words such as prepositions, auxiliary verbs, and conjunctions.
12. describes an economy, market, or currency that is not performing well, with fall
疲軟的
形容市場、經濟不景氣的
describes an economy, market, or currency that is not performing well, with falling prices, low demand, or reduced value.
A weak economy usually means fewer jobs are available for new graduates.
經濟疲軟通常意味著應屆畢業生的工作機會減少。
collocation: weak economy
Investors worried about the weak dollar and moved their savings into gold.
投資人擔心美元疲軟，紛紛將存款轉為黃金。
Pim decided to sell his shares when the market turned weak in early autumn.
Pim 在初秋市場轉弱時決定賣掉持股。
Sales reports showed a weak performance in the electronics sector last quarter.
銷售報告顯示電子業上一季的表現疲軟。
A weak housing market can be good for buyers but difficult for homeowners who want to sell.
房市疲軟對買方有利，但對想要賣房的屋主來說則較困難。
用法筆記
Common in financial news. Often paired with nouns like economy, market, demand, currency, dollar, and sector. The opposite in financial contexts is strong.