burdens
burdens — 名詞
- burdenssingular
- burdensesplural
1. something heavy that a person, animal, or vehicle carries, especially over a dis
重擔；負荷
需搬運或背負的重物
something heavy that a person, animal, or vehicle carries, especially over a distance and with effort.
The donkey carried a heavy burden of firewood up the winding mountain trail.
驢子背著一捆沉重的柴火，沿著崎嶇的山路往上走。
burden + of + [what is carried]
Min's backpack was such a burden that she stopped three times on the way to school.
Min 的背包重得成了負擔，她在上學途中停下來休息了三次。
The old wooden bridge collapsed under the burden of the passing concrete truck.
那輛混凝土卡車經過時，老舊的木橋在重壓下坍塌了。
Relief workers loaded the burden of medical supplies onto small fishing boats.
救援人員將沉重的醫療補給物資裝上小漁船。
Aarav shifted the burden from his right shoulder to his left and kept walking.
Aarav 把重擔從右肩換到左肩，繼續往前走。
文法句型
burden + of + noun phrase
常見錯誤
2. a duty, problem, or worry that causes you a lot of difficulty or emotional press
負擔；重擔
令人煩惱的責任或難題
a duty, problem, or worry that causes you a lot of difficulty or emotional pressure over a long period of time.
Caring for her elderly mother became a heavy emotional burden for Soraya.
照顧年邁的母親對 Soraya 來說成了沉重的心理負擔。
emotional burden + for + [person]
The burden of running a small business often keeps Rafael awake at night.
經營小公司的負擔常常讓 Rafael 夜裡無法入睡。
burden + of + gerund phrase
Hana felt the weight of the burden her family's expectations placed on her choices.
Hana 感受到家人期望為她的選擇帶來的沉重負擔。
The company's debt was a heavy burden that its new owners could not ignore.
公司的債務是新東家無法忽視的沉重負擔。
Sharing your burdens with a close friend can make them much easier to bear.
跟好友分擔你的煩惱，能讓那些事變得容易承受許多。
- load
more general; a 'load of work' is neutral, while 'burden' suggests it is excessive or unwelcome
- strain
focuses on the pressure or stress caused, not the responsibility itself
- responsibility
neutral and positive in many contexts; 'burden' always implies the responsibility is unwelcome or hard
- relief
the feeling when a burden is removed
文法句型
burden + of + noun/gerund
burden + on/upon + someone
用法筆記
Frequently used in the plural ('burdens') when referring to multiple worries or responsibilities. Common in both personal and professional contexts.
常見錯誤
3. the core topic or argument that a speaker or writer develops throughout a speech
主旨；要旨
演講或作品的核心理念
the core topic or argument that a speaker or writer develops throughout a speech or piece of writing.
The burden of the mayor's speech was that the city must invest in better public transport.
該市長演講的主旨是城市必須投資於更好的大眾運輸系統。
the burden of [speech/article] + was + that-clause
The burden of the novel explores how war tears apart the lives of ordinary families.
該小說的核心主題在探討戰爭如何拆散一般家庭的生活。
Kwame summarised the burden of the journal article in just two clear sentences.
Kwame 用短短兩句話就概括了那篇期刊文章的要旨。
The central burden of Professor Okonkwo's lecture was the urgent need for clean water in rural areas.
Okonkwo 教授那場演講的核心主旨，是農村地區迫切需要乾淨的飲用水。
Once you grasp the burden of the poem, its structure starts to make perfect sense.
一旦你掌握了這首詩的主旨，它的結構就自然變得非常合理了。
文法句型
the burden of + noun phrase
the + burden + of + possessive + noun
用法筆記
This is a formal, literary sense. It is most common in academic writing and literary criticism. Distinguish from sense 2 (DIFFICULT RESPONSIBILITY), which is far more frequent in everyday language.
常見錯誤
burdens — 動詞
- burdenspresent simple I / you / we / they
- burdenses3rd person singular
- burdensing-ing form
- burdensedpast simple
1. to give someone a difficult task, responsibility, or problem that causes them wo
使負擔；困擾
用難事折騰或拖累某人
to give someone a difficult task, responsibility, or problem that causes them worry or makes their life harder.
Beatrix did not want to burden her colleagues with details of her personal problems.
Beatrix 不想用自己的私人問題來困擾同事。
burden + someone + with + something
The new government regulations burden small businesses with mountains of extra paperwork.
新的政府法規讓小型企業承受堆積如山的額外文書作業。
Iker felt guilty about burdening his parents with the full cost of his university fees.
Iker 對於讓父母負擔他的全部大學費用感到內疚。
Min was burdened with the task of organising the entire school festival by herself.
Min 被迫獨自承擔籌辦整個校慶活動的重擔。
The country's healthcare system is burdened by an ageing population and rising costs.
該國的醫療保健系統因人口高齡化和成本不斷上升而不堪負荷。
- weigh down
slightly informal; suggests the pressure is continuous and heavy
- saddle with
informal, often suggests an unfair or unwelcome task was assigned
- overload
means giving too much, not just assigning a burden
文法句型
burden + someone + with + something
be burdened + with + something
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice ('be burdened with'). The object of the burden is introduced by 'with' (the thing causing the trouble) or 'by' (the agent). Unlike the noun sense, the verb always implies a negative effect.