hieroglyphics
hieroglyphics — noun
1. A way of writing where pictures and symbols stand for words, best known from the
A way of writing where pictures and symbols stand for words, best known from the monuments of ancient Egypt.
Harper spent hours copying the hieroglyphics from the temple wall into her notebook.
The museum guide explained that Egyptian hieroglyphics mix sound signs with picture signs.
describing how hieroglyphics work: mixing sound and picture signs
Selim pointed to a carved owl among the hieroglyphics and asked what it meant.
Scholars finally cracked the code of hieroglyphics after finding the Rosetta Stone.
The tomb's ceiling was covered in bright blue hieroglyphics that glowed in the torchlight.
- hieroglyphs
refers to the individual picture-characters rather than the writing system as a whole
- pictograms
a broader term for any picture-based writing, not limited to ancient Egypt
文法句型
hieroglyphics + singular verb (the writing system)
hieroglyphics + plural verb (the individual symbols)
用法筆記
Almost always refers to the ancient Egyptian writing system, though other cultures such as the Maya also developed picture-based scripts.
常見錯誤
2. Handwriting or printed text that is so messy or unclear that nobody can read it,
Handwriting or printed text that is so messy or unclear that nobody can read it, as if it were written in a secret code.
Astrid looked at the doctor's prescription and saw nothing but hieroglyphics.
figurative use: nothing but hieroglyphics
Tara's handwriting is so messy that her notes look like hieroglyphics to everyone else.
The old letter had faded in the rain, turning the words into unreadable hieroglyphics.
Hugo laughed and called his shopping list hieroglyphics — even he could not read it.
To a beginner, a page of sheet music can seem like hieroglyphics at first glance.
- scrawl
specifically refers to hurried, messy handwriting rather than anything indecipherable
- chicken scratch
very informal; only used for bad handwriting, not for printed text or symbols
文法句型
look like + hieroglyphics
read like + hieroglyphics
nothing but + hieroglyphics
用法筆記
Used figuratively. The subject is typically messy handwriting, faded print, or any system of marks the speaker cannot make sense of.