colossus
/kəˈlɒsəs/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈlɑːsəs/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈlä-səs/ (ame, mw)
colossus — 名詞
- colossussingular
- colossiplural
1. a person, organization, or thing that has become extremely powerful, influential
巨擘；巨人
擁有巨大影響力或實力的人或組織
a person, organization, or thing that has become extremely powerful, influential, or successful, often dominating an entire area of activity
The oil company grew into a colossus that controlled nearly half the country's energy supply.
這家石油公司成長為一個巨擘，控制了該國近半數的能源供應。
collocation: grow into a colossus
The poet regarded her grandfather as a gentle colossus in the world of Chinese poetry.
那位女詩人視她的祖父為中國詩歌界一位溫和的巨擘。
pattern: a colossus in [domain]
That technology colossus now employs over two hundred thousand people across six continents.
那家科技巨擘如今在六大洲僱用超過二十萬名員工。
The film director became a cultural colossus whose work influenced an entire generation.
那位電影導演成為一個文化巨人，他的作品影響了整整一代人。
Local shops struggled to compete with the retail colossus that opened a store in every town.
當地商店難以與那家零售巨擘競爭，因為它在每個城鎮都開了分店。
- giant
more everyday word; colossus suggests even greater scale and dominance
- titan
similar register; titan often implies heroic or mythological stature
- behemoth
suggests something clumsy or threatening; more negative than colossus
- leviathan
suggests a vast, impersonal entity (often a government or corporation); more literary
文法句型
a colossus of [domain]
用法筆記
Usually singular. Often followed by 'of' plus a field or domain (e.g., a colossus of industry, a colossus of the art world). The concrete 'statue' sense (sense 2) is the historical root, but the metaphorical sense is now equally common in journalism.
常見錯誤
2. a statue, sculpture, or building that is strikingly large, often so big that it
巨型雕像；巨像
體積龐大的雕像或建築物
a statue, sculpture, or building that is strikingly large, often so big that it dominates the area around it
The ancient colossus stood at the harbour entrance, its stone arm raised toward the sea.
那座古老的巨像矗立在港口入口處，石臂高舉向海面。
historical reference: Colossus of Rhodes
Tariq took a photograph of the marble colossus that dominates the central square.
Tariq 拍了中央廣場那尊大理石巨像的照片。
The museum's new wing is a steel-and-glass colossus that towers over the old building.
博物館的新館是一座鋼筋玻璃的龐大建築，高聳於舊建築之上。
Workers spent ten years carving the sandstone colossus next to the river.
工人們花了十年時間在河邊雕刻那座砂岩巨像。
From a distance the colossus looked like a small hill, but up close you could see it was carved by human hands.
從遠處看，那座巨像像一座小山，但走近才發現它是人類雕刻出來的。
- giant statue
more literal and descriptive; less dramatic
- monolith
suggests a single block of stone; more specific in meaning
- mammoth structure
emphasises the prehistoric scale rather than artistic quality
文法句型
[material] colossus
用法筆記
The word originally referred only to statues (capitalised: the Colossus of Rhodes), but now also describes any building or structure that is strikingly large. Distinguish from sense 1, which is metaphorical (a person or organisation).