burden
/ˈbɜːdn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɜːrdn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbər-dᵊn/ (ame, mw) · /ˈbɜː.dən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɝː.dən/ (ame, ipa)
burden — 名詞
1. a load so heavy that carrying it takes real effort.
重擔
需要扛或搬的沉重東西
a load so heavy that carrying it takes real effort.
Two donkeys carried the burden of salt up the mountain road.
兩頭驢子馱著鹽袋，沿著山路往上走。
burden of + noun
The porter moved the burden from one shoulder to the other.
搬運工把重擔從一邊肩膀換到另一邊。
move a burden from one shoulder to the other
By noon, the wet sack had become a burden for Hana.
到了中午，那個濕掉的袋子對 Hana 來說已是個重擔。
On the narrow bridge, one extra box was a burden.
在那座狹窄的橋上，多一箱東西都是重擔。
The burden on the mule's back bent the wooden frame.
壓在騾子背上的重擔把木架都壓彎了。
- relief
used when weight is taken away and carrying becomes easier
文法句型
carry a burden
burden of + noun
burden on + body part/animal
用法筆記
Usually literal and physical. Distinguish from noun/2: this sense names an actual thing being carried, not a duty, cost, or worry.
常見錯誤
2. a duty, problem, or worry that puts lasting pressure on someone.
負擔
讓人長期操心或吃力的責任、問題
a duty, problem, or worry that puts lasting pressure on someone.
Student debt was a burden that stayed with Priya for years.
學貸成了 Priya 多年揮之不去的負擔。
burden that + clause
High bus fares place a burden on poor families in winter.
高昂的公車票價在冬天成了窮困家庭的負擔。
burden on + person/group
After the fire, running the shop alone became a burden.
火災之後，獨自經營那間店成了一種負擔。
The secret was a burden Noa could not share with anyone.
那個秘密是 Noa 無法對任何人說出的負擔。
Caring for both parents put a heavy burden on Diego.
同時照顧雙親，讓 Diego 背上沉重的負擔。
- responsibility
can be neutral or positive; burden stresses difficulty
- load
often overlaps in figurative use, especially in everyday speech
- strain
focuses on the stress produced rather than the duty itself
- weight
suggests emotional pressure, especially in phrases like a weight on your mind
文法句型
a burden on + person/group
become a burden
put a burden on + person/group
用法筆記
Often followed by on in phrases like a burden on families, workers, or taxpayers. Distinguish from noun/1: this sense can be emotional, financial, or social, not something in your hands.
常見錯誤
burden — 動詞
1. to give someone a hard duty, cost, or worry that makes life more difficult.
加重負擔
把責任、麻煩或憂慮壓到某人身上
to give someone a hard duty, cost, or worry that makes life more difficult.
The court would not burden one parent with every school cost.
法院不願把所有學校費用都壓在其中一位家長身上。
burden someone with + noun
Small clinics are burdened with forms they barely have time to read.
小型診所常被一堆表格壓得喘不過氣，連細讀的時間都不夠。
passive: be burdened with + noun
Leila refused to burden her brother with the bad news.
Leila 不想拿那個壞消息去加重哥哥的負擔。
Rising fees burden many students before classes even begin.
上漲的費用在開學前就加重許多學生的負擔。
Farmers were burdened by fuel costs after the bridge collapse.
橋樑坍塌後，燃料成本讓農民的負擔更加沉重。
- impose on
emphasizes putting an unwanted duty on someone
- trouble
broader and less formal; can describe any kind of problem
- saddle
often used in the pattern saddle someone with something; stresses unfairness
- weigh down
more vivid and often more emotional in tone
文法句型
burden someone with + noun
be burdened with + noun
be burdened by + noun
用法筆記
Often appears in the passive with with or by. The object is usually a person or group, and the added thing is a duty, expense, or worry rather than a physical object.
常見錯誤
2. to put a heavy load on a person, animal, or thing so that moving becomes harder.
壓得更重
讓人或物被重物壓住，變沉、難移動
to put a heavy load on a person, animal, or thing so that moving becomes harder.
Workers burdened the truck with stone before sunrise.
工人們天還沒亮，就把石頭一塊塊裝上卡車。
burden something with + noun
Too many bags burdened the horse on the muddy track.
太多袋子讓那匹馬在泥濘小路上負重前行。
The roof was burdened with wet snow after midnight.
半夜過後，屋頂被濕雪壓得沉甸甸的。
Fishermen burdened the small boat with three extra nets.
漁夫們又把三張網搬上小船，船身一下重了許多。
One thick coat burdened the child in the summer heat.
大熱天裡，一件厚外套就讓那孩子覺得整個人又重又難動。
- load
the most direct everyday verb for putting weight on something
- weigh down
stresses the effect of extra weight
- overload
suggests adding more than is safe or proper
文法句型
burden something with + noun
be burdened with + noun
用法筆記
The object is usually an animal, vehicle, structure, or person carrying real weight. Distinguish from verb/1, which is about duties or worries rather than actual loads.