lo

/ləʊ/ (bre, ipa) · [lˈo] /ləʊ/ (ame, ipa)

lo — exclamation

1. an old word used to direct someone's attention to something surprising or intere

1.感嘆詞C1
釋義

an old word used to direct someone's attention to something surprising or interesting that is about to be shown or described

例句

Sofia opened the old box, and lo and behold, a gold ring lay inside.

set phrase: lo and behold

Lo, the morning sun rose over the hills and lit up the valley below.

standalone exclamation introducing a scene

同義詞
  • behold

    equally literary; can stand alone as a command ('Behold!') without the added phrase

  • look

    everyday modern equivalent that directs visual attention directly

  • see

    modern imperative used to present a discovery ('See what I found!')

用法筆記

This exclamation now appears almost exclusively in the fixed phrase 'lo and behold', used humorously or dramatically when revealing a surprising result. The standalone form 'Lo, …' is limited to literary or deliberately old-fashioned writing.

常見錯誤

❌Low and behold, the answer was obvious.
✅Lo and behold, the answer was obvious.
💡'lo' is the exclamation, not the adjective 'low'.
❌Lo, something interesting happened.' (used in casual modern speech)
✅And lo and behold, something interesting happened.
💡standalone 'Lo' sounds unnatural in everyday conversation; use 'lo and behold' instead.