draining
draining — 形容詞
1. requiring so much physical or mental effort that you feel extremely tired afterw
令人疲憊的
耗費大量精力導致疲勞
requiring so much physical or mental effort that you feel extremely tired afterward, with little energy left for other activities
The six-hour hike up the muddy mountain trail was physically draining, and Mei-Lin could barely walk afterward.
長達六小時的泥濘山路健行極度消耗體力，Mei-Lin 後來幾乎走不動。
adjective describing task or experience that exhausts
Caring for three young children while working a full-time job can be emotionally draining for any parent.
一邊工作全職一邊照顧三個年幼小孩，對任何父母來說都可能造成情緒上的耗竭。
collocation: emotionally draining
Jun found the twelve-hour nursing shift on the emergency ward incredibly draining on both body and mind.
Jun 發現急診室十二小時的護理班對身心都是難以承受的消耗。
Studying for the bar exam proved so draining that Ananya could barely speak by the end of the day.
準備律師考試累到 Ananya 在一天結束時幾乎說不出話。
- exhausting
slightly stronger; implies complete depletion of energy
- tiring
more general, less intense than draining
- demanding
focuses on high requirements rather than resulting tiredness
- refreshing
giving energy back instead of taking it away
- invigorating
making you feel full of energy
用法筆記
Commonly collocates with emotionally, physically, or mentally before the adjective to specify the type of tiredness.
常見錯誤
draining — 動詞
1. to cause a liquid to flow out of something gradually or completely, so that the
排出；瀝乾
將液體從某物中除去
to cause a liquid to flow out of something gradually or completely, so that the thing becomes drier, emptier, or free of unwanted fluid
The chef drained the boiled potatoes in a metal colander before adding milk and butter.
主廚在金屬濾鍋中將煮好的馬鈴薯瀝乾，然後加入牛奶和奶油。
drain + food + in colander — kitchen context
After the heavy rain, workers used large pumps to drain water from the flooded parking garage.
大雨過後，工人使用大型水泵將積水從地下停車場中排出。
drain + water + from + location
Ravi drained the cooking oil through a fine strainer into a glass jar for later use.
Ravi 將食用油透過細篩網濾到玻璃罐中以備日後使用。
The plumber explained that we must drain the water heater completely before replacing the rusty valve.
水電工解釋說，我們必須先把熱水器完全排空，才能更換生鏽的閥門。
文法句型
drain + object (liquid or source) + from/out of + location
drain + container/structure
用法筆記
Frequently followed by a direct object and a prepositional phrase with from or out of. The object can be either the liquid itself or the container being emptied.
常見錯誤
2. to drink all the liquid from a container such as a glass, cup, or bottle, leavin
喝光
將容器中的飲料喝完
to drink all the liquid from a container such as a glass, cup, or bottle, leaving it completely empty
Thirsty after the ten-kilometer run, Yuki drained his water bottle in one long continuous gulp.
跑完十公里後口渴難耐，Yuki 一口氣喝光了水壺裡所有的水。
drain + container of drink — drinking context
The old fisherman smiled and drained the last of his tea from the small cracked ceramic cup.
老漁夫微笑著喝完那只小陶瓷杯中最後幾口茶。
Kwame drained his glass of fresh orange juice and immediately asked the waiter for a refill.
Kwame 喝光杯中的新鮮柳橙汁，立刻向服務生要求續杯。
Elena drained the entire can of soda while waiting for the delayed train at the crowded station.
Elena 在擁擠的車站等誤點的火車時，一口氣喝光了整罐汽水。
- sip
to drink slowly, little by little
文法句型
drain + container (of liquid)
用法筆記
This sense emphasizes speed and completeness — the action is usually done in one go, not sipped slowly.
3. to use up all of something valuable such as energy, money, or patience, so that
耗盡；使疲憊
耗盡精力或資源
to use up all of something valuable such as energy, money, or patience, so that little or nothing remains
The prolonged legal battle drained most of the family's savings over three painful years.
曠日持久的訴訟在痛苦的三年間耗盡了這個家庭大部分的積蓄。
drain + financial resource
Caring for a parent with dementia gradually drained every bit of patience Maria had left.
照顧患有失智症的父母，逐漸耗盡了 Maria 所剩無幾的耐心。
drain + patience — emotional resource
Building the new science laboratory completely drained the school's annual construction budget.
新建科學實驗室完全耗盡了學校年度建設預算。
The five-hour job interview drained every last ounce of confidence Chidi had built up over the summer.
長達五小時的工作面試，耗盡了 Chidi 整個夏天建立起來的最後一絲自信。
文法句型
drain + resource/person
drain away (intransitive)
用法筆記
The direct object is typically something abstract or valuable: energy, strength, resources, savings, patience, confidence. Can also be used intransitively with away: 'His strength drained away.'
常見錯誤
4. to move away as a liquid, flowing out of a space or container through a hole or
流走
液體逐漸流出
to move away as a liquid, flowing out of a space or container through a hole or opening, typically until gone
Melissa watched the warm bathwater slowly drain from the tub, leaving a ring of soap scum behind.
Melissa 看著溫熱的洗澡水慢慢從浴缸流走，留下了一圈肥皂垢。
drain from + location — intransitive
After the storm stopped, the rainwater drained away through the gutters and into the street drains.
暴風雨停止後，雨水順著排水溝流走，進入了街道的排水管。
drain away — phrasal intransitive
Excess water from the rice fields drains into the irrigation canal that runs behind the village.
稻田裡多餘的水會流進村莊後方的灌溉渠道。
The puddles on the playground drained into the sandy soil within an hour of the rain stopping.
雨停後不到一小時，操場上的水窪全都滲進了沙質土壤中。
- pool
to gather and stay in one place rather than flow away
- accumulate
to build up instead of flowing away
文法句型
drain + from/out of + location
drain + away/off
用法筆記
Intransitive only — no direct object. The liquid itself is the subject. Often followed by away, off, or a prepositional phrase with from/into.
5. to become gradually less or weaker until little or nothing remains, used about f
逐漸消失
情感或興趣逐漸減弱
to become gradually less or weaker until little or nothing remains, used about feelings, hope, energy, or interest rather than about liquids
As the weeks passed without any news, all hope of finding the missing climber drained from the rescue team.
隨著數週過去而毫無音訊，救援隊找到失蹤登山者的希望逐漸消失了。
drain from — abstract disappearance of hope
The colour slowly drained from Lucia's face when she opened the telegram with trembling hands.
Lucia 用顫抖的雙手打開電報時，臉上的血色漸漸褪去。
Interest in the old computer game drained away quickly after the new virtual-reality headset was released.
新的虛擬實境頭盔上市後，大家對舊電腦遊戲的興趣很快就消失了。
Whatever enthusiasm Theo had for the project drained completely after his third proposal was rejected.
Theo 的第三份提案被拒絕後，他對這個計畫的熱情完全消失殆盡。
文法句型
drain + away
drain + from + person/thing
用法筆記
Used metaphorically for non-physical things (hope, colour, enthusiasm, confidence). Distinguish from sense 4, which describes actual liquid movement.
draining — 名詞
1. a pipe, channel, or tube that carries away dirty water, waste, or excess liquid
排水管
排走液體的管道系統
a pipe, channel, or tube that carries away dirty water, waste, or excess liquid from a building, road, or piece of land
A blocked drain in the kitchen sink caused dirty water to spread across the entire tiled floor.
廚房水槽的排水管堵塞，導致髒水流得到處都是。
blocked drain — common problem phrase
Omar climbed onto the roof to clear fallen leaves from the gutter drain before the autumn rains arrived.
Omar 爬上屋頂，在秋雨來臨前清除落葉以免堵塞天溝排水管。
City workers are inspecting all the storm drains to make sure they can handle this year's typhoon season.
市府工作人員正在檢查所有雨水排水管，以確保今年颱風季能夠正常運作。
The bathroom drain was completely clogged with hair and soap, so water just sat in the shower tray.
浴室排水管被頭髮和肥皂完全堵住了，水就積在淋浴盤裡下不去。
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often paired with blocked, clogged, or cleared to describe common household or municipal problems.
常見錯誤
2. something or someone that continuously uses up a large amount of money, energy,
消耗
耗費大量資源的人事物
something or someone that continuously uses up a large amount of money, energy, time, or other valuable resources, leaving less available for other purposes
The old car had become a serious drain on Amir's monthly salary because it needed constant expensive repairs.
那輛舊車因為經常需要昂貴的維修，成了 Amir 每月薪水的沉重消耗。
a drain on + financial resource
Hospital bills can be a huge drain on a young family's savings, especially after an unexpected illness.
醫藥費對年輕家庭的積蓄來說可能是巨大的消耗，尤其遇到意料之外的疾病時。
Priya viewed the weekly tutoring sessions as a drain on her free time, even though they helped her grades.
Priya 認為每週的課後輔導消耗了她大部分空閒時間，即使這對成績有幫助。
Keeping the large empty house heated and maintained was a constant drain on the widow's limited pension.
維持那棟大空屋的暖氣和保養，對寡婦微薄的退休金是持續的消耗。
文法句型
a drain + on + resource/possession
用法筆記
Almost always followed by on + noun phrase indicating the resource being depleted. Common in economic and personal finance contexts.
常見錯誤
3. the process or action of removing liquid from something by letting it flow out,
排水；排乾
將液體排出的過程
the process or action of removing liquid from something by letting it flow out, or the condition of having liquid flow away
Draining the soil well is essential for growing healthy tomato plants that will not rot at the roots.
良好的土壤排水對於種植健康的番茄植株至關重要，這樣根部才不會腐爛。
draining + noun (soil) — agricultural context, gerund as subject
The draining of the swamp created new farmland but completely destroyed the local bird habitat.
沼澤的排水雖然創造了新的農地，卻完全破壞了當地的鳥類棲息地。
the draining of + noun — gerund with of-phrase
Properly draining the fish tank involves cleaning the filter and changing twenty percent of the water weekly.
魚缸的正確排水包括清潔過濾器以及每週更換百分之二十的水。
After the flood, draining the water from the basement took the fire department over six hours to complete.
洪水過後，消防隊花了六個多小時才完成地下室的排水工作。
用法筆記
Uncountable noun. Often used in technical or practical contexts like agriculture, construction, and medicine. The related noun form 'drainage' is more common for this sense.