diesel
/ˈdiːzl/ (bre, ipa) · [dˈisəl] /ˈdiːzl/ (ame, ipa) · [dˈisəl] /ˈdē-zəl -səl/ (ame, mw)
diesel — 名詞
- dieselsingular
- dieselsplural
1. a thick, dark oil that is burned inside the engines of trucks, buses, trains, an
柴油
引擎用重質燃油
a thick, dark oil that is burned inside the engines of trucks, buses, trains, and some cars — it is heavier than petrol and gives vehicles more power for long-distance travel.
Minh pulled into the petrol station and filled his tank with diesel before heading north.
Minh 把車開進加油站，加滿柴油後繼續往北行駛。
collocation: fill the tank with diesel
Diesel prices are up this month, pushing Elena to switch to a smaller car.
這個月柴油價格上漲，迫使 Elena 換了一輛比較小的車。
uncountable: no article before 'diesel' when talking about the fuel in general
Arun's van runs on diesel, so he drives longer between fill-ups than petrol car owners.
Arun 的貨車使用柴油，所以他比開汽油車的人開更久才需要加油。
The city buses switched to cleaner diesel last year, reducing the smoke in residential areas.
去年市區公車改用較潔淨的柴油，住宅區的黑煙減少了。
- biodiesel
a renewable type of diesel made from vegetable oils or animal fats, not from crude oil
- petrodiesel
a technical term for standard diesel made from crude oil, used mainly to distinguish it from biodiesel
- petrol
the lighter fuel used in most cars (called gasoline in American English); diesel is heavier and used in larger vehicles
文法句型
diesel + noun (diesel engine / diesel car / diesel fuel)
用法筆記
Diesel as a fuel is uncountable — you say 'some diesel' or 'a litre of diesel', not 'a diesel'. When used before another noun it acts as a modifier: 'diesel engine', 'diesel generator'.
常見錯誤
2. a car, truck, or train that runs on a diesel engine.
柴油車
使用柴油引擎的車輛
a car, truck, or train that runs on a diesel engine.
Old diesels lined the railway yard, each covered in dust from the desert wind.
老舊的柴油火車排列在調車場裡，每輛都覆滿沙漠風吹來的灰塵。
countable plural: 'diesels' = diesel-powered trains/vehicles
Fatima traded her petrol car for a diesel and saves money on fuel for her commute.
Fatima 把汽油車換成柴油車，每天通勤省下不少油錢。
countable: 'a diesel' = a diesel-powered car
The mine bought twenty new diesels to replace old petrol trucks, cutting fuel costs by half.
礦場買了二十輛新的柴油卡車取代舊汽油卡車，燃料成本節省了一半。
After driving petrol cars for years, Esteban bought his first diesel and noticed the difference on long trips.
開了多年汽油車後，Esteban 買了第一輛柴油車，長途旅行時明顯感受到差異。
- diesel locomotive
a specific type of diesel vehicle — a train powered by a diesel engine, often shortened to 'diesel' in railway contexts
- diesel truck
a lorry or heavy goods vehicle that runs on diesel
- petrol car
a vehicle that runs on petrol (gasoline) instead of diesel
- electric vehicle
a vehicle powered by electricity stored in batteries rather than by burning fuel
文法句型
a / the + diesel (referring to a vehicle)
用法筆記
In this sense 'diesel' is a countable noun — you can say 'a diesel', 'two diesels', 'the diesel'. The context usually makes clear whether the speaker means a car, a train, or a truck. Distinguish from sense 1 (fuel), which is uncountable.
常見錯誤
3. a type of engine that burns diesel by compressing air until it is hot enough to
柴油引擎
壓縮點火式內燃機
a type of engine that burns diesel by compressing air until it is hot enough to ignite the fuel — it does not need a spark plug like a petrol engine does.
The fishing boat's diesel coughed twice then roared to life, sending black smoke across the harbour.
漁船的柴油引擎咳了兩聲後轟然啟動，黑煙飄過整個港口。
countable: 'the diesel' = the engine
Takuya spent the weekend taking apart the generator's old diesel to fix a broken valve.
Takuya 花了一個週末拆開發電機的舊柴油引擎，修理一個壞掉的閥門。
partitive: 'the diesel from [device]' = the engine
Large diesels power cargo ships because they burn low-grade fuel efficiently over long distances.
大型柴油引擎驅動貨輪，能以低級燃油長距離高效率運轉。
The ferry's old diesel had run for twenty thousand hours before needing a major overhaul.
渡輪的老舊柴油引擎運轉了兩萬小時才需要進行大修。
- compression-ignition engine
the formal technical name for a diesel engine; describes how the engine works (compression, not spark)
- petrol engine
an engine that uses a spark plug to ignite a mixture of petrol and air
- spark-ignition engine
the technical term for a petrol engine, contrasting with a compression-ignition (diesel) engine
文法句型
a / the + diesel (referring to an engine)
用法筆記
Sense 3 refers to the engine itself, not the vehicle that contains it. Context clues suggesting this sense include 'the diesel started/coughed/roared' (engine sounds) or 'fix/repair/overhaul a diesel' (engine as mechanical object).