barrier
/ˈbæriə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbæriər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈber-ē-ər ˈba-rē-/ (ame, mw) · /ˈbær.i.ər/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈber.i.ɚ/ (ame, ipa)
barrier — 名詞
1. a physical thing such as a fence, wall, gate, or even a mountain or river that s
障礙物；柵欄
阻擋通行的實體圍欄、牆或自然地形
a physical thing such as a fence, wall, gate, or even a mountain or river that stands in the way and stops people, cars, or animals from passing through.
Police set up metal barriers along the parade route to keep the crowd off the road.
警察沿著遊行路線架設金屬柵欄，把人群擋在路外。
set up + barriers + along + place
Gita jumped the wooden barrier at the back of the field and ran toward the river.
Gita 跳過田地後方的木柵欄，朝河邊跑去。
A line of tall hills forms a natural barrier between the two valleys.
一排高聳的山丘形成兩個山谷之間的天然屏障。
The flood pushed against the concrete barrier but never broke through.
洪水猛撞混凝土障礙物，但始終沒有衝破。
Stand behind the yellow barrier until the train has fully stopped.
請站在黃色柵欄後面，等列車完全停妥。
- fence
specifically made of posts and wire or wood; barrier is broader
- barricade
usually quickly built to block a road during protests or fighting
- obstruction
more formal; emphasises that something is in the way
文法句型
put up a barrier
behind a barrier
用法筆記
Subject of 'put up' or 'set up' is usually police, workers, or organisers. The barrier here is a thing you can touch; the abstract sense is sense 3.
常見錯誤
2. a movable gate at a station or car park, often controlled by a ticket or card, t
閘門；剪票口
車站或停車場控管進出的活動閘門
a movable gate at a station or car park, often controlled by a ticket or card, that you walk or drive through when you enter or leave.
Dimitri tapped his travel card on the reader and the barrier slid open.
Dimitri 把交通卡輕觸感應器，閘門就滑開了。
tap card + barrier slid open
Show your ticket to the guard at the barrier before you go down to the platform.
在剪票口先把車票出示給站務員，再下到月台。
at the barrier (location)
The car park barrier stayed down because Daniel had not paid the fee.
Daniel 還沒繳費，停車場閘門一直放下沒升起。
A long queue formed at the ticket barrier during the Friday rush hour.
週五尖峰時刻，剪票閘門前排了長長一條人龍。
文法句型
go through the barrier
at the barrier
用法筆記
Common in British contexts (railway / car park). Subject is usually the gate itself, or the traveller goes 'through' it.
3. a problem, rule, attitude, or condition that stops you doing what you want to do
阻礙；障礙
讓事情難以推進或達成的問題、規定或條件
a problem, rule, attitude, or condition that stops you doing what you want to do, or makes a goal much harder to reach — for example a high price, a strict law, or a lack of training.
High tuition fees are still a major barrier to going to university for many families.
對許多家庭來說，高昂的學費仍是上大學的主要阻礙。
barrier + to + -ing
Aunt Mei said her age was the biggest barrier when she tried to change careers.
Mei 阿姨說，當她想轉換跑道時，年齡是她最大的障礙。
The new law removes one barrier against small businesses opening in the town centre.
新法規去除了小型商家在市中心開店的一道阻礙。
Lack of childcare is a real barrier to women returning to full-time work.
缺乏托育是女性重返全職工作的真正障礙。
Jin broke down the barrier of self-doubt and finally signed up for the marathon.
Jin 突破自我懷疑這道心理障礙，終於報名了馬拉松。
- facilitator
something that helps progress instead of blocking it
- incentive
something that pushes you towards a goal
文法句型
barrier to + noun/-ing
barrier against something
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'to + noun/-ing' or 'against + noun'. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 3 is about progress towards a goal; sense 4 is about distance between people or groups.
常見錯誤
4. something invisible — like a different language, a class difference, or a strong
隔閡；藩籬
讓人們無法相處或互相理解的無形分隔
something invisible — like a different language, a class difference, or a strong opinion — that keeps people apart or stops them from really understanding each other.
The language barrier made it hard for Yuki to make friends in her first month in London.
語言隔閡讓 Yuki 在倫敦的第一個月很難交到朋友。
language barrier
Class barriers between rich and poor families were very strong in the old town.
在這個老城裡，貧富家庭之間的階級藩籬非常深。
barrier between A and B
Music helped break the cultural barrier between the local kids and the new students.
音樂幫助打破了當地孩子和新同學之間的文化隔閡。
After the argument, an emotional barrier grew between the brothers for years.
那次爭吵之後，兩兄弟之間的心牆持續了好多年。
文法句型
barrier between A and B
language/cultural barrier
用法筆記
Often pre-modified by 'language', 'cultural', 'class', or 'emotional'. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense focuses on the gap between two parties, not on stopping a single person's progress.
5. a layer of material or tissue that keeps two areas apart, or that protects one a
屏障；保護層
把兩個區域隔開或防止有害物質侵入的薄層
a layer of material or tissue that keeps two areas apart, or that protects one area from harmful things — for example a sun cream on the skin or the special cells around the brain.
Sun cream forms a thin barrier on the skin against harmful UV rays.
防曬乳會在皮膚上形成一層薄薄的屏障，阻擋有害紫外線。
barrier + against + noun
The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from many drugs and toxins.
血腦屏障保護大腦，使許多藥物與毒素無法進入。
fixed term: blood-brain barrier
A thick coat of paint acts as a barrier between the wood and the rain.
一層厚厚的油漆在木頭和雨水之間發揮屏障作用。
The body's skin works as a natural barrier against bacteria and dirt.
人體皮膚就像對抗細菌與髒污的天然屏障。
文法句型
barrier between A and B
barrier against something
用法筆記
Common in scientific and product writing. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is something you can see clearly blocking passage; sense 5 is a thin protective layer that keeps substances apart.
barrier — 形容詞
1. describing types of birth control, such as condoms or a diaphragm, that work by
屏障式避孕
靠物理阻隔精子接觸卵子來避孕的
describing types of birth control, such as condoms or a diaphragm, that work by stopping sperm from physically reaching the egg.
The nurse explained that condoms are the most common barrier method of birth control.
護理師說明，保險套是最常見的屏障式避孕方法。
barrier method (fixed phrase)
Doctors often recommend barrier contraception for couples who also want protection from infection.
對於同時想預防感染的伴侶，醫師常建議使用屏障式避孕。
barrier contraception
Linnea switched to a barrier method after she stopped taking the daily pill.
Linnea 停掉每日避孕藥之後，改用屏障式避孕方法。
The clinic's leaflet listed several barrier methods, including condoms and the diaphragm.
診所的衛教單列出了多種屏障式避孕方法，包括保險套和子宮帽。
- mechanical
older medical term for the same group of methods
- hormonal
contrast type of contraception that uses hormones, not a physical block
文法句型
barrier method
barrier contraception
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive). Almost always pairs with 'method' or 'contraception'. Belongs to medical and sex-education registers.