evaporation
evaporation — 名詞
1. The natural change in which a liquid turns into a vapour or gas, usually because
蒸發
液體受熱變為氣體的過程
The natural change in which a liquid turns into a vapour or gas, usually because warmth from the air or sun acts on it.
The evaporation of seawater leaves behind salt, which workers then collect and sell.
海水的蒸發留下鹽分，工人再將其收集販售。
the evaporation of [liquid]
On a hot day, a shallow pond can lose centimetres of water through evaporation.
在大熱天裡，淺池塘可能因蒸發而失去好幾公分深的水。
through evaporation
Plants use evaporation to pull water from their roots and release it into the air.
植物靠蒸發作用將水分從根部往上拉，再釋放到空氣中。
Morning dew on the grass vanishes once evaporation begins with the sunrise.
太陽一出來，草上的露水就因蒸發而消失無蹤。
- vaporisation
More formal and scientific; often used in chemistry contexts
- drying
Focuses on the removal of moisture rather than the physical process of phase change
- condensation
The opposite process — gas changing back into a liquid
文法句型
the evaporation of [liquid]
evaporation from [surface]
用法筆記
Evaporation happens at the surface of a liquid at any temperature. This distinguishes it from 'boiling', which occurs throughout the liquid at a specific temperature.
常見錯誤
2. The way something abstract — such as trust, money, or support — slowly becomes l
消失；消散
抽象事物逐漸消失不見
The way something abstract — such as trust, money, or support — slowly becomes less until it is completely gone, as though it has been carried away like vapour.
The evaporation of public trust in the bank took just weeks after the news broke.
消息傳出後僅僅幾週，大眾對那家銀行的信任就消失了。
the evaporation of [abstract noun — trust]
Nora watched the evaporation of her savings as medical bills kept arriving month after month.
Nora 看著自己的積蓄隨著醫療帳單每個月不斷湧入而逐漸耗盡。
the evaporation of [possessor]'s [resource]
The sudden evaporation of funding forced the research team to abandon their project halfway through.
資金突然消失，迫使研究團隊中途放棄了他們的計畫。
Kwame felt the evaporation of his enthusiasm for the project after months of delays.
Kwame 感覺自己在延宕數月之後，對那個計畫的熱情已經消失殆盡。
- disappearance
Broader term; lacks the suggestion of gradualness that 'evaporation' carries
- fading
Emphasises the slow, step-by-step nature of the loss
- dissipation
More formal; suggests something being scattered or wasted over time
- accumulation
The gradual build-up of something over time
- growth
Increase in amount or strength, opposite of loss
文法句型
the evaporation of [abstract noun]
用法筆記
This figurative sense is almost always used with abstract nouns that represent intangible resources — trust, confidence, hope, support, funding, savings. It suggests a slow, quiet loss rather than a sudden violent disappearance.