whisper
whisper — 名詞
1. speech produced by pushing air through the mouth without vibrating the vocal cor
耳語
用氣音說話，只讓近處的人聽見
speech produced by pushing air through the mouth without vibrating the vocal cords, intended to be heard only by someone very close
Ilan lowered his voice to a whisper so the librarian would not hear him.
Ilan 把聲音壓低成耳語，以免圖書館員聽見他。
collocation: lower to a whisper
Tariq and Obi exchanged secrets in a whisper during the morning meeting.
Tariq 和 Obi 在早會上用耳語交換祕密。
prepositional phrase: in a whisper
Her whisper was so soft that Beatriz had to lean forward to catch the words.
她的耳語非常輕，Beatriz 得靠向前才能聽清楚內容。
A loud whisper from the back row made the teacher stop and look up.
後排傳來一聲響亮的耳語，讓老師停了下來抬頭看。
Megan could hear the whisper of two students planning a surprise party for their classmate.
Megan 聽得見兩個學生正低聲策劃要幫同學辦驚喜派對。
文法句型
in a whisper
a whisper
用法筆記
Common in the phrase 'in a whisper' to describe how something is said. 'Lower your voice to a whisper' is a fixed collocation for reducing volume.
常見錯誤
2. a gentle, quiet sound, such as the rustling of leaves in a light wind or the sof
颯颯聲
輕柔微弱的聲音，如風吹樹葉或水流
a gentle, quiet sound, such as the rustling of leaves in a light wind or the soft movement of fabric
The only sound in the forest was the whisper of wind through the pine trees.
森林中唯一的聲音，是風吹過松樹的颯颯聲。
pattern: whisper of + wind/sound source
Sayaka listened to the gentle whisper of waves against the wooden boat.
Sayaka 聆聽著海浪輕輕拍打木船的細語聲。
collocation: gentle whisper
The whisper of silk skirts filled the hall as the dancers took their places.
絲質長裙的颯颯聲響遍大廳，舞者們各就各位。
From the kitchen came the whisper of rice being poured into a ceramic bowl.
廚房傳來白米倒入陶瓷碗中的輕柔聲響。
Pim heard the whisper of autumn leaves skittering across the dry pavement.
Pim 聽見秋天的落葉在乾燥的人行道上沙沙作響。
文法句型
whisper of + noun
用法筆記
Frequently followed by 'of' and a noun naming the source of the sound: 'the whisper of leaves / rain / fabric / wind'.
3. unconfirmed news or a private hint passed from one person to another, often befo
傳言；謠傳
私下流傳的未經確認的消息
unconfirmed news or a private hint passed from one person to another, often before it becomes public
Ada heard a whisper that the company would close its factory in July.
Ada 聽到一個傳言，說公司七月就要關閉工廠了。
pattern: a whisper that + clause
Whispers about the election result spread through the newsroom before the official count.
關於選舉結果的耳語在正式計票前就傳遍了新聞編輯室。
pattern: whispers about + noun
Imran dismissed the whisper of a merger as nothing more than office gossip.
Imran 認為合併的傳言不過是辦公室八卦，沒有理會。
A quiet whisper among the nurses said the new doctor would arrive next week.
護理師之間悄悄流傳著新醫生下週就會來報到的消息。
Reema ignored the whispers that her application had already been turned down.
Reema 不理会那些說她的申請已經被拒絕的耳語。
- confirmation
official verification that something is true
- announcement
a public statement of fact
文法句型
whispers that + clause
whispers about + noun
用法筆記
Often used in the plural ('whispers') to suggest multiple people spreading information. Stronger than 'rumour' in suggesting the information is passed secretly rather than openly discussed.
常見錯誤
whisper — 動詞
1. to say something by pushing air past the mouth without vibrating the throat, for
低語；小聲說
用氣音小聲說話，不讓他人聽見
to say something by pushing air past the mouth without vibrating the throat, for only the nearest person to hear
Caleb whispered the answer into his friend's ear so nobody else could hear.
Caleb 把答案低聲說進朋友的耳朵裡，以免其他人聽見。
transitive: whisper + noun + into [person's] ear
Élise whispered to her brother that dinner was ready, trying not to wake the baby.
Élise 低聲告訴哥哥晚飯準備好了，盡量不吵醒嬰兒。
pattern: whisper to + person + that-clause
The children whispered among themselves while the teacher wrote on the board.
老師在黑板上寫字的時候，孩子們彼此低聲交談。
Ilan whispered a goodbye to his grandmother and slipped out of the room.
Ilan 低聲對祖母說了再見，然後悄悄溜出了房間。
Tariq whispered his address to the waiter so the other diners would not overhear.
Tariq 小聲把地址告訴服務生，以免其他用餐的客人聽到。
文法句型
whisper + noun
whisper to + person
whisper + that-clause
用法筆記
Can be used transitively (whisper something) or intransitively (whisper to someone). The object is often words of secrecy, intimacy, or politeness: secrets, passwords, goodbyes, compliments.
常見錯誤
2. to pass along information quietly and informally, often about something that is
傳聞；謠傳
私下暗示可能屬實
to pass along information quietly and informally, often about something that is not yet confirmed or that someone wants to keep hidden
People whispered that the bank might close, though no official announcement was made.
大家私下傳聞那家銀行可能關閉，不過沒有任何官方消息。
pattern: people whisper that + clause
It has been whispered that the principal plans to retire at year's end.
一直有人私下傳說校長計劃在年底退休。
passive: it is whispered that + clause
Obi's colleagues whispered behind his back that he was looking for a new job.
Obi 的同事在背後議論，說他正在找新工作。
Some employees whispered that the layoffs would begin after the holiday break.
有些員工私下傳聞，說裁員會在假期之後開始。
文法句型
people whisper that
it is whispered that
whisper about + noun
用法筆記
Commonly used in the impersonal passive structure 'it is whispered that…'. The subject is typically a vague group ('people', 'some') or the passive construction — not a single named person.
3. to produce a soft, hushing sound like the movement of wind through dry leaves or
颯颯作響
發出輕柔沙沙聲
to produce a soft, hushing sound like the movement of wind through dry leaves or water flowing over pebbles
The dry leaves whispered as the old woman swept them across the courtyard.
枯葉在老婦人掃過庭院時發出颯颯聲。
intransitive: subject (nature/object) + whisper
The wind whispered through the bamboo grove, making a soft hushing sound.
風穿過竹林颯颯作響，發出輕柔的噓噓聲。
Ada's long dress whispered against the wooden floor as she walked.
Ada 的長裙在木地板上走動時發出颯颯聲。
The river whispered over the smooth stones in the shallow riverbed.
河水在淺淺的河床中流過光滑的石頭，發出輕柔的聲音。
The tall grass whispered in the evening breeze as the sun sank below the hills.
高高的草在晚風中颯颯作響，夕陽落到山丘後方。
文法句型
+ prepositional phrase
+ adverb
用法筆記
Almost always intransitive. The subject is a natural element (wind, leaves, water, fabric) or an object that moves gently. Common in descriptive and literary writing; rarely used in everyday conversation about sound.