好词典

yawning

UK //ˈjɔːnɪŋ//US //ˈjɔːnɪŋ//

词源

来自古英语'gianian',意为'打哈欠',与古诺尔斯语'gína'(张大嘴)同源,最终源自原始日耳曼语词根*ginōną。

adjective

❶ 形容嘴巴张得很大,通常是因为困倦或无聊而打哈欠的样子。也可以用来形容空间或差距非常大,显得空旷或明显。

“The yawning child couldn't stay awake during the movie.”

(那个不停打哈欠的孩子看电影时根本撑不住。)

“A yawning gap appeared between the two walls after the earthquake.”

(地震后两堵墙之间裂开了一道巨大的缝隙。)

同义词:gaping, wide-open, cavernous

noun

❶ 指打哈欠的动作或行为,是身体在疲倦或缺氧时的自然反应。

“His constant yawning indicated he needed to go to bed.”

(他不停地打哈欠说明他该去睡觉了。)

“Yawning is contagious - when one person does it, others often follow.”

(打哈欠会传染——一个人打了哈欠,其他人往往也会跟着打。)

同义词:oscitation, gaping

常见短语

yawning chasm — 形容极其巨大或深邃的裂缝或鸿沟,常用来比喻巨大的差异或分歧。

“The negotiations revealed a yawning chasm between the two sides' positions.”

(谈判暴露出双方立场之间存在巨大鸿沟。)

yawning gap — 指非常明显的差距或空缺,可以指物理空间或抽象概念上的差异。

“There's a yawning gap in our knowledge about this ancient civilization.”

(我们对这个古代文明的认知存在巨大空白。)