whoa
whoa — 感嘆詞
1. a word you say to a horse or other riding animal to tell it to stop moving.
停馬
命令馬停下來的喊聲
a word you say to a horse or other riding animal to tell it to stop moving.
As they reached the gate, Christopher pulled the reins and shouted, "Whoa!"
一到了大門口，Christopher 拉緊韁繩大喊：「Whoa！」
whoa as a direct command to a horse
The farmer's pony did not respond to the command "whoa" and kept trotting toward the cornfield.
農夫的小馬不理會「whoa」的命令，繼續朝玉米田小跑過去。
"Whoa, boy!" called Esteban as the horse approached the edge of the stream.
Esteban 在馬匹靠近溪邊時喊道：「Whoa，乖！」
Grandpa taught Ilan to say "whoa" firmly whenever the pony started to run.
爺爺教 Ilan 在小馬開始奔跑時堅定地說「whoa」。
- stop
direct instruction rather than a calling sound; less traditional with horses
- giddyup
the command to make a horse go forward
文法句型
whoa — said directly to an animal
用法筆記
This is the original use of 'whoa' and remains the most common meaning when speaking to animals. The tone is usually firm and drawn out: 'whoa-a-a.'
常見錯誤
2. a word you say to tell another person to halt an action, go at a gentler pace, o
慢著
要求他人停下或放慢速度
a word you say to tell another person to halt an action, go at a gentler pace, or pause before moving forward.
Whoa, that is way too much sugar for one cup of tea, Diya.
Diya，慢著，那一杯茶放太多糖了。
whoa + reason for objecting
"Whoa, slow down — I cannot write that fast," said Felix to the guest speaker.
Felix 對講者說：「慢著，慢一點——我來不及寫下來。」
whoa + follow-up imperative (slow down)
Sora held up both hands and said, "Whoa, let us all take a deep breath before we argue."
Sora 舉起雙手說：「慢著，我們先深呼吸再來爭論。」
Whoa, you are reading three books at once? How do you keep track of all the stories?
慢著，你同時讀三本書？你怎麼記得每一本的內容？
- go ahead
the opposite instruction — continue without pausing
- keep going
encourages continuation rather than stopping
文法句型
whoa + imperative clause
whoa + declarative clause (objection)
用法筆記
Often followed by a clarifying sentence that explains the objection. Common in face-to-face conversation; the tone can be friendly ('slow down so I can follow') or firm ('stop what you are doing').
常見錯誤
3. a word you say when you are suddenly surprised, impressed, or very interested in
哇噻
表達驚訝或讚嘆
a word you say when you are suddenly surprised, impressed, or very interested in something you see, hear, or learn.
Whoa! Did you see that bicycle jump over three parked cars?
哇噻！你有看到那台腳踏車飛越三輛汽車嗎？
whoa with exclamation mark for strong surprise
Yara opened the box and said, "Whoa, this is way more than I expected."
Yara 打開盒子說：「哇噻，這比我預期的多太多了。」
Whoa, I did not realise the museum had a dinosaur skeleton that big.
哇噻，我不知道博物館裡有這麼大的恐龍骨架。
"Whoa, look at the size of that spider!" whispered Nia, pointing at the ceiling.
Nia 指著天花板小聲說：「哇噻，看看那隻蜘蛛有多大！」
文法句型
whoa — standalone exclamation
whoa + declarative clause (reaction)
用法筆記
The tone is drawn out ("whoa-a-a") for greater surprise. This sense overlaps with 'wow,' but 'whoa' adds a sense of needing to pause and take in what you have just seen or heard.
常見錯誤
whoa — 動詞
1. used as a command to yourself or a group to stop and think more carefully before
三思
暫停行動重新考慮
used as a command to yourself or a group to stop and think more carefully before continuing with a plan, decision, or line of thought.
Christopher was about to sign the contract when he thought, whoa — better check the details first.
Christopher 正要簽約時心想：三思——最好先仔細檢查條款。
self-command: thought + whoa + reconsideration
"Whoa there," said the team leader, "we have not considered how much this will cost."
團隊領導說：「且慢，我們還沒有考慮到這要花多少錢。」
whoa there as a group instruction to pause
I was about to send an angry reply, but I told myself whoa — take a breath first.
我原本要寄出一封憤怒的回信，但我告訴自己三思——先深呼吸再說。
The committee was rushing to a vote when Jason called out, "Whoa — let us hear from the other side first."
委員會急著投票時，Jason 喊了一聲：「且慢——先聽聽另一方的意見。」
- hold up
more direct; less reflective than 'whoa'
- hang on
softer and more conversational
- let's think about this
a full phrase rather than a single-word command
- go for it
encourages action without hesitation
文法句型
whoa — said to oneself or a group to pause decision-making
用法筆記
Functions as an imperative verb — you are giving a command, but the command is directed at yourself or everyone involved rather than at a specific person. Often followed by 'there' ("whoa there") for extra emphasis. This sense is more reflective than exclamation sense 2: here the point is to reconsider, not just to slow down physically.