coaxing
coaxing — 動詞
1. to slowly get someone to do or agree to something by speaking warmly, smiling, o
哄誘；勸誘
用溫和話語慢慢說服某人做某事
to slowly get someone to do or agree to something by speaking warmly, smiling, or saying nice things, rather than by giving orders or arguing
Yuki coaxed her little brother into trying a spoonful of the spinach soup.
Yuki 哄著她的小弟弟，誘他試一口菠菜湯。
coax + someone + into + -ing for gentle persuasion
The nurse coaxed the frightened boy to open his mouth for a quick throat check.
護理師哄勸那個害怕的男孩張開嘴巴，方便快速檢查喉嚨。
coax + someone + to-infinitive
Dario sat down and quietly coaxed the stray puppy out from under the couch.
Dario 坐了下來，輕聲哄誘那隻流浪小狗從沙發下出來。
After half an hour, Ravindra finally coaxed his grandmother into seeing the doctor.
過了半小時，Ravindra 終於勸動奶奶去看醫生。
Élise gently coaxed a smile out of the crying toddler with a silly puppet voice.
Élise 用滑稽的玩偶聲音，哄得那個哭鬧的小孩露出笑容。
文法句型
coax + someone + into + -ing
coax + someone + to-infinitive
coax + someone + out of + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually a person; object is usually a reluctant person, a child, or a shy animal. Often used with a destination phrase (`into doing`, `out of doing`, `out from under`).
常見錯誤
2. to make a machine, fire, plant, or other object slowly start working or produce
慢慢弄成
細心擺弄使機器或東西開始運作
to make a machine, fire, plant, or other object slowly start working or produce a result, by handling it carefully over time
Felix knelt by the campfire and tried to coax the damp wood into a flame.
Felix 在營火旁跪下，試著讓潮濕的木頭慢慢燃起火苗。
coax + object + into + result
Jenna spent an hour coaxing the old printer back to life before the meeting started.
Jenna 在會議前花了一小時，才把那台老印表機弄回能用的狀態。
coax + machine + back to life
By gently rocking the steering wheel, Rafael coaxed the truck out of the muddy ditch.
Rafael 輕輕擺動方向盤，慢慢把卡車從泥坑裡弄了出來。
Eshe carefully coaxed the seedlings to grow by adjusting the lamp and watering them daily.
Eshe 每天調燈、澆水，小心地讓那些幼苗順利長大。
- force
use sudden strength rather than patient handling
文法句型
coax + something + into + state
coax + something + to + verb
用法筆記
Object is usually an inanimate thing that resists working: an engine, a fire, a stuck door, a dying plant. Distinguish from sense 1, whose object is a reluctant person or animal.
3. in older or literary writing, to stroke or pat someone or something with gentle,
輕撫；愛撫
（文學）以手溫柔地撫摸
in older or literary writing, to stroke or pat someone or something with gentle, affectionate movements of the hand
In the old novel, the shepherd coaxed the lamb's soft ears as the storm passed.
在那本舊小說裡，牧羊人輕撫著小羊柔軟的耳朵，等暴風雨過去。
literary register: coax = stroke gently
Darius coaxed his daughter's hair away from her forehead before kissing her goodnight.
Darius 把女兒額前的頭髮輕輕撥開，然後親她道晚安。
The poem describes how the old fisherman coaxed the cat's chin until it purred.
那首詩描寫老漁夫輕撫貓的下巴，直到牠發出呼嚕聲。
Eli coaxed the orchid's petals with a fingertip, marvelling at how soft they felt.
Eli 用指尖輕撫那株蘭花的花瓣，驚嘆它們竟如此柔軟。
文法句型
coax + body part / object of affection
用法筆記
Mainly literary or older fiction; rare in modern conversation. Distinguish from sense 1 (persuade) and sense 2 (get working) — here there is no goal of changing behaviour, only affectionate touch.
coaxing — 名詞
1. the gentle, patient, often sweet-sounding way of talking that you use when you w
哄勸；軟磨
溫和耐心、想說服他人時的話語方式
the gentle, patient, often sweet-sounding way of talking that you use when you want someone to do something they are unsure about
It took a lot of coaxing before Lotte's shy cousin agreed to sing at the family party.
花了好一番哄勸，Lotte 那個害羞的表妹才答應在家族聚會上唱歌。
a lot of coaxing — common quantity phrase
With a little coaxing, Kenji's grandfather finally agreed to use the new phone.
Kenji 的爺爺在家人稍加哄勸之下，終於願意使用新手機。
with a little coaxing — set phrase
Some children eat new vegetables right away; others need gentle coaxing for weeks.
有些孩子馬上就肯吃新蔬菜，有些則要花上好幾週溫柔哄勸。
Despite hours of coaxing, Ramón's daughter refused to get on the small plane.
儘管哄勸了好幾個鐘頭，Ramón 的女兒仍然拒絕登上那架小飛機。
- persuasion
broader; persuasion can involve logic and argument, while coaxing is specifically warm and gentle
- cajolery
more formal; suggests flattery and is less common in modern speech
- force
the opposite means of getting someone to act
文法句型
a lot of coaxing
with a little coaxing
take some coaxing
用法筆記
Uncountable. Frequently quantified by `a lot of`, `a little`, `some`, `gentle`, or `hours of`. Often follows `take` (`take some coaxing`) or `with` (`with a little coaxing`).
常見錯誤
coaxing — 形容詞
1. describing a voice, smile, or manner that is soft and warm and seems designed to
哄誘的
口吻或笑容溫柔，使人安心或答應
describing a voice, smile, or manner that is soft and warm and seems designed to make you agree or feel calmer
Eli used a coaxing voice to lure the frightened cat from behind the washing machine.
Eli 用哄誘的聲音，把那隻受驚的貓從洗衣機後方引了出來。
a coaxing + voice — most frequent collocation
The dentist's coaxing tone helped Jenna stay calm during her first filling.
牙醫柔聲哄誘的口吻，幫助 Jenna 在第一次補牙時保持冷靜。
a coaxing + tone — typical collocation
Tyler answered his crying baby with a soft, coaxing smile.
Tyler 對哭鬧的寶寶回以一個柔軟、哄誘的微笑。
Christopher's words stayed patient and coaxing, even when the toddler refused his coat.
即使那個小孩不肯穿外套，Christopher 的話語仍保持耐心而柔聲哄誘。
- soothing
focuses on calming; coaxing adds the goal of getting agreement
- wheedling
more negative; suggests insincere flattery
- persuasive
broader and more neutral; can apply to arguments and writing, not only voice
文法句型
a coaxing + noun (voice, tone, smile)
be coaxing
用法筆記
Almost always describes manner-of-speech nouns (`voice`, `tone`, `whisper`, `smile`, `words`). Rarely used to describe a person directly. Distinguish from sense 1 of the verb: this is the quality of the voice or look, not the action.