burning

/ˈbɜːnɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbɜːrnɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbər-niŋ/ (ame, mw)

burning — 形容詞

1. actively in flames; something that is on fire and giving off heat and light at t

1.形容詞B1
釋義

燃燒的

正在冒火、發出火焰的

actively in flames; something that is on fire and giving off heat and light at this moment.

例句

Firefighters pulled an elderly man out of the burning house on Maple Street.

消防員把一位老先生從楓樹街上一棟燃燒中的房子裡救出來。

attributive: a burning + noun (object on fire)

Sparks from the burning logs jumped onto the rug, and Maya quickly stamped them out.

燃燒中的木柴上飛出火花，落到地毯上，Maya 立刻把火踩熄。

同義詞
  • blazing

    burning strongly with bright flames

  • flaming

    with visible flames; often more vivid

  • alight

    predicative only: 'the barn was alight'

反義詞

文法句型

a burning + noun

be burning

用法筆記

Mostly attributive (a burning building, a burning candle). When predicative, the subject is the thing in flames itself, not the fire — say 'the house is burning', not 'the fire is burning the house' for this sense.

常見錯誤

❌The burning was very hot.
✅The fire was very hot.
💡'burning' is an adjective describing what is on fire; use 'fire' or 'flames' for the thing itself.

2. so hot that it almost feels like fire on your skin, even though nothing is actua

2.形容詞B2
釋義

炙熱的

熱到像火在燒一般

so hot that it almost feels like fire on your skin, even though nothing is actually on fire — used about the sun, weather, sand, metal in the sun, and similar things.

例句

Tourists hopped from foot to foot on the burning sand as they ran toward the sea.

遊客踏在炙熱的沙灘上，邊跳邊跑向海邊。

collocation: the burning sand / sun / pavement

Under the burning August sun, the workers stopped every hour to drink cold water.

在八月炙熱的太陽下，工人們每小時都會停下來喝冰水。

同義詞
  • scorching

    even stronger; usually about sun or weather

  • scalding

    of liquids hot enough to hurt

  • boiling

    informal: extremely hot weather

反義詞

文法句型

the burning sun/heat/sand

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: in sense 2 there are no real flames. Common subjects are surfaces (sand, metal, pavement), weather words (sun, heat), and body parts that feel hot (cheeks, forehead, skin).

常見錯誤

❌My soup is burning, I cannot drink it.
✅My soup is boiling hot, I cannot drink it.
💡'burning' is rarely used for food and drink that are simply too hot; prefer 'boiling hot' or 'scalding'.

3. describes a pain or feeling in the body that is sharp and stings, as if a small

3.形容詞B2
釋義

灼熱刺痛的

像被火灼到的疼痛或不適感

describes a pain or feeling in the body that is sharp and stings, as if a small fire were touching the skin from inside — used about pain, fevers, throats, eyes, and cuts.

例句

Maya woke at 3 a.m. with a burning pain in her stomach and called her doctor in the morning.

Maya 凌晨三點醒來，肚子有一陣灼熱刺痛，早上立刻打電話給醫生。

collocation: a burning pain / sensation

After eating the chili, Marcus felt a burning sensation on his tongue that lasted ten minutes.

吃了辣椒之後，Marcus 舌頭上有一股灼熱感，持續了十分鐘。

同義詞
  • stinging

    sharp surface pain, like an insect bite

  • searing

    stronger; sudden, intense pain

  • smarting

    milder; the sting after a small cut or slap

反義詞

文法句型

a burning + body-state noun

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 ('extremely hot'): sense 3 is about an internal body sensation, not the temperature of an outside object. Common collocates: 'burning pain', 'burning sensation', 'burning fever', 'burning throat'.

常見錯誤

❌I have a burning in my chest.
✅I have a burning sensation in my chest.
💡'burning' is an adjective; pair it with a noun like 'pain', 'feeling', or 'sensation'.

4. of a wish, ambition, or emotion: so powerful that the person cannot stop thinkin

4.形容詞C1
釋義

強烈的

渴望或情感極為強烈、無法壓抑

of a wish, ambition, or emotion: so powerful that the person cannot stop thinking about it and feels driven to act on it.

例句

Since the age of six, Lina had a burning ambition to dance with the Royal Ballet in London.

從六歲起，Lina 就有一個強烈的志向：到倫敦的皇家芭蕾舞團跳舞。

collocation: a burning ambition / desire / wish

Marcus left his office job because of a burning desire to write novels in the countryside.

Marcus 辭掉辦公室工作，是因為心中有一股強烈的渴望，想到鄉下寫小說。

同義詞
  • intense

    strong but more neutral and broader

  • fierce

    strong and aggressive; often of competition or loyalty

  • passionate

    driven by deep emotion; positive tone

反義詞
  • mild

    weak or gentle in feeling

文法句型

a burning desire/ambition/hatred (to do sth)

用法筆記

Almost always attributive, in front of an emotion or wish noun (desire, ambition, wish, hatred, love, curiosity, passion). You cannot say 'her desire is burning' for this sense.

常見錯誤

❌I have a burning to learn Japanese.
✅I have a burning desire to learn Japanese.
💡'burning' here always needs a feeling-noun after it (desire, wish, ambition, etc.).

5. of a topic, question, or problem: so important that people want an answer or act

5.形容詞C1
釋義

迫切的

問題或議題十分緊迫，需立即處理

of a topic, question, or problem: so important that people want an answer or action right away and will not wait.

例句

Climate change is the burning issue of our generation, and young voters keep raising it at every debate.

氣候變遷是我們這一代最迫切的議題，年輕選民在每場辯論中都不斷提出。

collocation: a burning issue / question / problem

The reporter began the press conference with the burning question on every parent's mind: when will the schools reopen?

記者用每位家長心中最迫切的問題作為記者會的開場：學校何時會復課？

同義詞
  • pressing

    needing immediate attention; very common in news English

  • urgent

    must be dealt with at once; broader scope

  • crucial

    extremely important, but not always urgent

反義詞

文法句型

a burning question/issue/problem

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 4: sense 5 modifies cold-headed nouns (question, issue, problem, topic) — things to be discussed or solved. Sense 4 modifies feeling nouns (desire, hatred). Almost always attributive.

常見錯誤

❌This question is burning.
✅This is a burning question.
💡for this sense, 'burning' goes before the noun, not after a linking verb.