weakness
weakness — 名詞
1. The condition of having very little physical power or force, making it difficult
虛弱；無力
缺乏體力或力量的狀態
The condition of having very little physical power or force, making it difficult to move, lift things, or resist pressure.
After three days without food, Tendai felt a terrible weakness in his legs and could barely stand.
連續三天沒有進食後，Tendai 感到雙腿極度虛弱，幾乎站不起來。
weakness in + body part
The old wooden bridge had a structural weakness that engineers discovered during the safety inspection.
那座老舊的木橋有結構性弱點，工程師在安全檢查時發現了這個問題。
structural weakness (inanimate subject)
Élise's illness left her with a general weakness that made climbing the stairs feel impossible.
Élise 生病後全身虛弱，連爬樓梯都覺得非常困難。
Joon tried to lift the heavy box, but the weakness in his arms forced him to set it back down.
Joon 想抬起那個重箱子，但手臂無力，只好又放了回去。
Doctors told the patient that some muscle weakness was normal after such a long surgery.
醫生告訴病人，長時間手術後出現一些肌肉無力是正常的現象。
- feebleness
more extreme; suggests someone can barely move or function
- frailty
focuses on fragile health, often due to age or illness
- fragility
emphasizes how easily something breaks or gives way
文法句型
weakness of [body part]
weakness in [body part]
用法筆記
Common in medical contexts to describe a patient's reduced physical capacity. Can be general ('general weakness') or localized ('muscle weakness', 'weakness in the legs').
常見錯誤
2. A shortcoming in a person's character, a system, or a plan that reduces effectiv
缺點；弱點
性格或系統中的不足之處
A shortcoming in a person's character, a system, or a plan that reduces effectiveness or creates the potential for mistakes.
One major weakness of Christopher's proposal was that it did not prepare for unexpected cost increases.
Christopher 提案的一個主要缺點，是沒有為意外的成本上漲做好準備。
weakness of + [proposal/plan]
The bank's security system had a serious weakness that allowed strangers to access private customer accounts.
那家銀行的安全系統有一個嚴重漏洞，讓外人可以存取客戶的私人帳戶資料。
Vikram knew his biggest weakness as a manager was his impatience with team members who asked too many questions.
Vikram 知道自己作為主管最大的弱點，就是對提問過多的團隊成員缺乏耐心。
Ilan pointed out a weakness in the defence lawyer's argument that the judge had not noticed.
Ilan 指出了辯護律師論證中的一個漏洞，而法官之前沒有注意到。
Every product goes through testing so that engineers can find and fix any design weakness before launch.
每一項產品都會經過測試，以便工程師在上市前找出並修正設計上的缺點。
- flaw
similar but more about imperfection in design or appearance; sounds less serious
- shortcoming
suggests failing to meet a standard or expectation
- defect
more technical; an imperfection in a manufactured product or system
文法句型
weakness in [system/plan/character]
weakness of [person/thing]
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'in' to specify where the weakness exists ('weakness in the system') or 'of' to specify the owner ('weakness of the plan'). Can be used for people, systems, arguments, designs, or organizations.
常見錯誤
3. A strong liking for a particular thing or activity, often something that gives p
癖好；嗜好
難以抗拒的喜愛，常指不好的東西
A strong liking for a particular thing or activity, often something that gives pleasure but that you know is not good for you or is not wise to indulge.
Karim has a weakness for dark chocolate and eats a whole bar every evening after dinner.
Karim 對黑巧克力有種無法抗拒的嗜好，每天晚上吃完飯都會吃掉一整條。
have a weakness for [indulgence]
Trang's only weakness is her love for old black-and-white films — she watches at least three a week.
Trang 唯一的癖好就是喜歡看黑白老電影——她每週至少看三部。
The children have a weakness for sugary cereal, so their parents hide the boxes on the top shelf.
孩子們對含糖麥片毫無抵抗力，所以爸媽把麥片盒藏在最高的層板上。
João admitted he had a weakness for expensive watches that he could not really afford on his salary.
João 承認自己對昂貴的手錶有種難以抗拒的偏好，以他的薪水其實根本負擔不起。
Cole knew that his weakness for spicy food would cause him trouble, but he ordered the hottest curry anyway.
Cole 知道自己的辣食癖好會讓自己吃苦頭，但他還是點了最辣的咖哩。
文法句型
have a weakness for [something]
用法筆記
Always used in the pattern 'have a weakness for + noun/gerund'. The weakness is usually for something that the person themselves recognize as potentially bad or indulgent. Commonly used with food, drink, entertainment, or shopping.
常見錯誤
4. A situation in which a country's money has a low value compared to the money of
弱勢；疲軟
貨幣對外幣貶值的狀態
A situation in which a country's money has a low value compared to the money of other nations, making imported goods more expensive and foreign travel costlier.
The weakness of the yen made it much more expensive for Japanese students to study abroad in the United States.
日圓弱勢讓日本學生到美國留學的費用變得昂貴許多。
weakness of [currency] — economic impact
Amelia studied how the weakness of the peso affected local farmers who needed to purchase imported seeds and tools.
Amelia 研究了披索弱勢如何影響需要購買進口種子和農具的當地農民。
Export companies welcomed the weakness of their national currency because foreign buyers found their products cheaper.
出口企業歡迎本國貨幣弱勢，因為外國買家覺得他們的產品更便宜了。
Nellie worried that the weakness of the currency would cause the price of imported medicine to rise beyond reach.
Nellie 擔心貨幣疲軟會導致進口藥品的價格上漲到一般人負擔不起的程度。
The central bank took action to slow the currency weakness after investors began moving money out of the country.
在投資者開始將資金撤出該國後，中央銀行採取行動以抑制貨幣弱勢趨勢。
- depreciation
more precise; describes a measured fall in value, often over time
- devaluation
refers specifically to a government's deliberate reduction of currency value
- strength (of currency)
When a currency has high value relative to others
- appreciation
A measured increase in a currency's value over time
文法句型
weakness of [currency]
[currency] weakness
用法筆記
Primarily used in economics and financial reporting. Often appears in the compound noun form 'currency weakness'. Can be modified by 'prolonged', 'persistent', or 'severe'.