好词典

ceiling

UK //ˈsiːlɪŋ//US //ˈsiːlɪŋ//

词源

源自中古英语 'celing',来自古法语 'ciel'(意为天空),最终源自拉丁语 'caelum'(天空)。最初指天空般的装饰性天花板,后引申为房间顶部和抽象上限概念。

noun

❶ 天花板,指房间内部顶部的覆盖物,通常用于遮挡屋顶结构或隐藏管线。

“The ceiling in the living room is painted white.”

(客厅的天花板被漆成了白色。)

“A spider was crawling across the ceiling.”

(一只蜘蛛正在天花板上爬行。)

❶ 上限,指某个数值或数量的最高限制,常用于经济、政策或技术领域。

“The government set a price ceiling on essential goods.”

(政府对必需品设置了价格上限。)

“There's a ceiling on how much you can contribute to the retirement fund each year.”

(每年向退休基金的缴款是有上限的。)

同义词:roof, upper limit, maximum, cap, top

常见短语

hit the ceiling — 非常生气或暴怒,形容情绪突然爆发,就像撞到天花板一样激烈。

“When he saw the damage to his car, he hit the ceiling.”

(当他看到车被损坏时,他暴跳如雷。)

glass ceiling — 隐形障碍,特指女性或少数群体在职场晋升中遇到的无形限制。

“Despite her qualifications, she faced a glass ceiling in the male-dominated industry.”

(尽管她资历深厚,但在男性主导的行业中仍面临晋升障碍。)