blues
blues — 名詞
1. a style of slow, soulful music born among Black communities in the American Sout
藍調
源自美國南部黑人社群的憂傷音樂類型
a style of slow, soulful music born among Black communities in the American South, marked by melancholy melodies and lyrics about hardship, lost love, or daily struggle.
Élise grew up listening to her father play the blues on an old guitar.
Élise 從小就聽爸爸用一把舊吉他彈藍調。
collocation: play the blues
The bar in Chicago has hosted live blues every Friday night for forty years.
芝加哥那家酒吧四十年來每週五晚上都有現場藍調演出。
noun modifier: live blues / blues night
Hassan studies the history of the blues at a music school in Memphis.
Hassan 在曼非斯的一所音樂學院研究藍調的歷史。
Many rock songs of the 1960s borrowed their chord patterns from the blues.
1960 年代許多搖滾歌曲的和弦進行都借自藍調。
Caio could not sing the blues without thinking of his grandmother in Bahia.
Caio 一唱起藍調，就會想起他在巴伊亞的奶奶。
- rhythm and blues
broader urban genre that grew out of the blues; faster and more dance-oriented
- soul
later style that fused blues with gospel; emotional but less guitar-centred
文法句型
the blues
play/sing the blues
用法筆記
Almost always takes the definite article 'the'. Used as both a count-style label for the genre and as a modifier (blues band, blues guitarist, blues festival).
常見錯誤
2. a mood of low spirits or gentle sadness, often mild and short-lived rather than
鬱悶；低潮
輕微而短暫的鬱悶心情，非臨床憂鬱症
a mood of low spirits or gentle sadness, often mild and short-lived rather than a serious illness; the kind of dull, flat feeling that comes from loneliness, bad weather, or things not going well.
Sivan always gets the blues during the long, grey weeks after the holidays.
假期結束後那段漫長灰暗的日子裡，Sivan 總是會陷入低潮。
pattern: get the blues + time phrase
Karim had the blues all weekend after his closest friend moved away to Berlin.
最要好的朋友搬到柏林之後，Karim 整個週末都悶悶不樂。
pattern: have the blues + cause clause
A walk along the river usually chases away Apinya's blues.
沿著河邊散步通常就能掃去 Apinya 的憂鬱情緒。
Many new parents feel the blues in the first few weeks at home with a baby.
許多新手父母在剛把寶寶帶回家的頭幾週都會感到低潮。
Christopher cooks a big pot of soup whenever the winter blues hit.
一到冬季憂鬱來襲，Christopher 就會煮一大鍋湯。
- the doldrums
very similar but stresses being stuck in low spirits without energy
- low mood
neutral, slightly clinical; lacks the casual flavour of 'the blues'
- melancholy
literary; deeper and more lingering than 'the blues'
- high spirits
the opposite mood — cheerful and energetic
文法句型
have the blues
feel the blues
get the blues
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (the music): this sense is always paired with verbs of feeling — 'have', 'get', 'feel', 'fight off' — and is usually mild. For clinical depression, English uses 'depression', not 'the blues'.
常見錯誤
3. a single song or instrumental piece written in the blues style, typically built
一首藍調
依藍調曲式所寫的單一樂曲，多為十二小節
a single song or instrumental piece written in the blues style, typically built on a twelve-bar pattern with three-line verses that repeat the first line.
Reuben opened the set with a slow blues in the key of E minor.
Reuben 用一首 E 小調的慢藍調揭開了表演。
pattern: a blues in [key]
The album closes with a quiet blues about leaving the city for good.
專輯結尾是一首安靜的藍調，唱的是徹底離開那座城市。
pattern: a blues about [topic]
Nila composed a twelve-bar blues for her grandfather's birthday concert.
Nila 為爺爺的生日音樂會寫了一首十二小節藍調。
Femi recorded three blues for the soundtrack of the documentary.
Femi 為這部紀錄片的配樂錄了三首藍調。
- blues number
musicians' slang for a single blues piece in a set list
- twelve-bar
names the song by its standard structure rather than its genre
文法句型
a blues
play a blues in [key]
用法筆記
Only sense that is countable. Distinguish from sense 1 ('the blues' = the whole genre) — here 'a blues' or 'three blues' refers to specific musical pieces in that style.