ballast
/ˈbæləst/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbæləst/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈba-ləst/ (ame, mw)
ballast — 名詞
1. Heavy material like sand, stone, or water that is placed at the bottom of a ship
壓艙物；道碴
船或氣球底部的重物或鐵路底層碎石
Heavy material like sand, stone, or water that is placed at the bottom of a ship or a hot-air balloon to keep it steady and balanced. The term also refers to the layer of small crushed stones that forms the base of a railway track or road.
Hiroshi watched the crew load ballast onto the cargo vessel before its Atlantic crossing.
Hiroshi 看著船員在貨船橫渡大西洋之前將壓艙物裝上船。
load ballast
Workers spread crushed stone ballast evenly along the new railway tracks.
工人將碎石道碴均勻鋪在新的鐵路軌道下。
spread crushed stone ballast
Fatima checked the ballast level in the hot-air balloon basket before takeoff.
Fatima 在起飛前檢查了熱氣球籃中的壓艙物高度。
Without enough ballast, the ship would tip dangerously in strong winds.
如果沒有足夠的壓艙物，船隻在強風中會危險傾斜。
The captain ordered the crew to pump seawater into the ballast tanks for stability.
船長命令船員將海水抽入壓艙水箱以維持穩定。
- stabilizer
a device or substance that keeps something steady, usually more technical in tone
- counterweight
a weight used to balance another weight, often in machinery rather than vessels
- buoy
something that keeps afloat rather than weighing down
用法筆記
This sense is always uncountable. When referring to the stones under railway tracks, British English often uses the uncountable form: 'the railway ballast'.
常見錯誤
2. Something that provides emotional or mental steadiness, helping a person or grou
精神支柱
讓人保持冷靜穩定的力量
Something that provides emotional or mental steadiness, helping a person or group remain calm and balanced during difficult or uncertain times.
The Watanabe family found ballast in their shared traditions during the crisis.
渡邊一家在危機時期從共同的傳統中找到了精神支柱。
found ballast in
Folami's calm voice served as ballast for the team when the deadline moved up.
Folami 冷靜的聲音在截止日期提前時成了團隊的精神支柱。
served as ballast
Sanjay described his daily meditation practice as the ballast that kept his thoughts steady.
Sanjay 說他每天冥想練習是他保持思路穩定的精神支柱。
For Ayanda, close friendships provided the ballast she needed during her mother's illness.
對 Ayanda 來說，親密的友誼在她母親生病期間提供了她需要的精神支柱。
- anchor
something that keeps you grounded and secure, more relational in tone
- mainstay
a person or thing that provides the main support, slightly stronger in meaning
- foundation
the base on which something is built, less emotional in register
- disruption
something that causes instability or confusion
用法筆記
Frequently used in figurative or literary contexts. Often paired with verbs like 'provide', 'serve as', 'offer', or 'find'.
常見錯誤
3. A small device in a fluorescent lamp, LED light, or other electric light fixture
安定器
控制燈管電流的電子元件
A small device in a fluorescent lamp, LED light, or other electric light fixture that controls the flow of electrical current to start the light and keep it working properly.
Priya replaced the faulty ballast in the fluorescent light above the kitchen counter.
Priya 更換了廚房流理臺上方日光燈中故障的安定器。
replaced the faulty ballast
The classroom lights flickered constantly because the ballast was starting to fail.
教室的燈不停地閃爍，因為安定器開始故障。
ballast was starting to fail
Sakura asked the building manager to check the ballast in the hallway light fixture.
Sakura 請大樓管理員檢查走廊燈具中的安定器。
Daniel learned that modern LED lamps use an electronic ballast instead of a magnetic one.
Daniel 學到現代的 LED 燈使用電子安定器而非傳統的磁吸式。
- starter
a smaller component that helps start a fluorescent tube, not the same as the full ballast unit
- control gear
a technical term covering all current-regulating devices in lighting
用法筆記
Common in technical and maintenance contexts. In everyday speech, 'light starter' or simply 'the light part' are sometimes used instead.
常見錯誤
ballast — 動詞
- ballastpresent simple I / you / we / they
- ballasts3rd person singular
- ballasting-ing form
- ballastedpast simple
1. To put ballast into a ship, submarine, balloon, or floating structure to give it
裝載壓艙物
在船上放置重物以穩定
To put ballast into a ship, submarine, balloon, or floating structure to give it stability and prevent it from tipping over.
The crew ballasted the cargo ship with seawater before leaving the harbor.
船員在貨船離開港口前用海水裝載壓艙物。
ballasted the cargo ship with seawater
Engineers ballasted the floating bridge platform with concrete blocks for extra weight.
工程師用混凝土塊為浮動橋梁平臺裝載壓艙物以增加重量。
The submarine crew ballasted the tanks carefully before beginning the descent.
潛艇人員在開始下潛前仔細為水櫃裝載壓艙物。
Workers ballasted the empty oil tanker to keep it stable during the storm.
工人為空的油輪裝載壓艙物，讓它在暴風雨中保持穩定。
- stabilize
to make steady, a more general term not limited to ships
- weight down
to add weight to keep something in place, less technical
- lighten
to remove weight, making something less stable
用法筆記
Often used in passive voice in technical writing: 'the vessel was ballasted with...'.
2. To cover or fill the base of a railway track, road, or similar structure with a
鋪設道碴
在鐵路底層鋪碎石以穩固
To cover or fill the base of a railway track, road, or similar structure with a layer of crushed stone to make it strong and stable.
The construction crew ballasted the new railway line with crushed granite before laying the rails.
建築工人在鋪設鐵軌前用碎石為新的鐵路線鋪設道碴。
ballasted the new railway line with crushed granite
Mateo's team ballasted the road bed the day before the paving crew arrived.
Mateo 的團隊在鋪路隊抵達前一天為路基鋪設道碴。
The company ballasted the entire ten-kilometer stretch of track in under a week.
該公司在不到一週內為整整十公里的軌道鋪設了道碴。
Before laying the wooden sleepers, the workers ballasted the ground evenly across the route.
在鋪設枕木之前，工人們沿路線均勻地為地基鋪設道碴。
用法筆記
This is a technical term used mainly in civil engineering and construction contexts. In everyday speech, 'laid gravel' or 'added a stone base' are more common.