好词典

muses

UK /ˈmjuːzɪz/US /ˈmjuːzɪz/

词源

源自希腊语 'Mousa',通过拉丁语 'Musa' 传入古法语,最终在14世纪进入英语。最初特指希腊神话中宙斯的九个女儿,后引申为灵感化身。

noun

❶ 在希腊神话中,缪斯是掌管艺术与科学的九位女神,常被用来象征灵感或艺术创作的源泉。

“The poet invoked the muses for inspiration before writing his epic.”

(诗人在创作史诗前祈求缪斯赐予灵感。)

“Ancient artists believed the muses guided their creative works.”

(古代艺术家相信缪斯女神指引着他们的创作。)

❶ 引申指激发某人创造力的人或事物,通常带有诗意或浪漫色彩。

“His wife has been his muse for over thirty years.”

(他的妻子三十多年来一直是他的灵感源泉。)

“The rugged coastline served as the painter's primary muse.”

(崎岖的海岸线是这位画家的主要灵感来源。)

同义词:inspiration, goddess, creative source, guiding spirit

verb

❶ 指某人陷入沉思或冥想的状态,通常表现为安静地凝视或出神。

“He mused over the old photograph for hours.”

(他对着老照片沉思了好几个小时。)

“She mused about what might have been as she walked along the beach.”

(她沿着海滩漫步,思索着可能发生的另一种人生。)

同义词:ponder, contemplate, reflect, meditate

常见短语

the muses' kiss — 形容突然获得艺术灵感的奇妙时刻,带有文学色彩的比喻。

“When the melody came to him, he knew it was the muses' kiss.”

(当旋律浮现时,他知道这是缪斯之吻的恩赐。)

muse upon — 长时间深入思考某件事,比普通思考更具诗意和哲学意味。

“Scholars have mused upon this ancient text for centuries.”

(学者们几个世纪以来一直在深入钻研这部古籍。)