fallow
/ˈfæləʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfæləʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfa-(ˌ)lō/ (ame, mw)
fallow — 形容詞
- fallowpositive
- fallowercomparative
- fallowestsuperlative
1. describing farmland that a farmer chooses to keep empty of crops for one or more
休耕的
農地暫不種作物以恢復地力
describing farmland that a farmer chooses to keep empty of crops for one or more seasons so the soil can rest and become richer for the next planting.
Pedro left the back field fallow for a year before planting wheat again.
Pedro 讓後方那塊田休耕一年，之後才再種小麥。
leave + noun + fallow for a stated period
The Chidi family rotates their crops and keeps one third of the farm fallow each season.
Chidi 一家輪種作物，每一季都會留三分之一的農地休耕。
keep + noun + fallow with rotation context
Two of the lower fields had lain fallow for three winters by the time Esme bought the land.
Esme 買下那塊地時，下方兩塊田已經休耕了三個冬天。
After the bad harvest, Eli decided the south pasture should stay fallow until spring.
歉收之後，Eli 決定南邊那塊牧地要一直休耕到春天。
Goats grazed quietly across the fallow ground behind the old barn.
山羊在老穀倉後方的休耕地上安靜地吃草。
- uncultivated
broader; can describe land that was never farmed, while 'fallow' implies a deliberate resting period
- untilled
focuses on the absence of plowing rather than on soil recovery
- idle
general term for unused land; lacks the agricultural rotation meaning of 'fallow'
- cultivated
actively planted and worked
- sown
currently planted with seeds
文法句型
fallow + noun (land/field/ground)
lie + fallow
leave + noun + fallow
用法筆記
Only used of cultivated land, usually with verbs like 'lie', 'leave', 'keep', or 'stay'. Subject is typically a field, pasture, plot, or piece of ground, never a wild area that was never farmed.
常見錯誤
2. describing a stretch of time, often in someone's career or in an industry, when
停滯的
比喻一段毫無進展的沉寂時期
describing a stretch of time, often in someone's career or in an industry, when little new work is produced or progress is made — as if the person or field were resting like an unplanted field.
After two successful novels, Constanza went through a fallow period and wrote nothing for six years.
在出版兩本暢銷小說之後，Constanza 進入一段停滯期，整整六年沒寫任何東西。
fallow + period in a creative career
The studio enjoyed huge success in the 1990s, then a long fallow spell followed.
那家製片公司在 1990 年代非常成功，接著是一段漫長的停滯期。
fallow + spell describing inactivity
Ravindra's research project had lain fallow during the pandemic and was only restarted last March.
Ravindra 的研究計畫在疫情期間停滯，直到去年三月才重新啟動。
British comedy films went through a fallow decade before a fresh wave of directors appeared.
英國喜劇電影經歷了停滯的十年，才出現一批新的導演。
Xiu used her fallow years between jobs to learn Korean and travel across Japan.
Xiu 利用換工作之間的停滯歲月學韓文，並到日本各地旅行。
- dormant
stronger image of sleeping or suspended activity; common with volcanoes or accounts
- inactive
plain everyday word; lacks the literary, agricultural metaphor of 'fallow'
- unproductive
focuses on output rather than on rest; can sound negative, while 'fallow' suggests potential return
- productive
actively creating output
- flourishing
thriving and growing strongly
文法句型
fallow + period/year/spell/time
lie + fallow (of a project or career)
用法筆記
Figurative extension of sense 1. Distinguish from sense 1 by the noun it modifies: a time word (period, spell, year, decade) signals this sense; a land word (field, ground, soil) signals sense 1.
常見錯誤
fallow — 名詞
1. farmland that has been plowed but deliberately kept free of seeds across one or
休耕地
已犁過但暫不播種的農田
farmland that has been plowed but deliberately kept free of seeds across one or several seasons, so the soil can recover its richness.
Matthew walked across the wide fallow behind his grandfather's old farmhouse.
Matthew 走過祖父老農舍後方那片寬闊的休耕地。
the + fallow as a countable piece of land
By late summer, wildflowers covered the fallow at the edge of the village.
到了夏末，村子邊緣那片休耕地長滿了野花。
the + fallow with a location modifier
Bilal pointed to a strip of fallow between the wheat and the barley.
Bilal 指向夾在小麥與大麥之間的一條休耕地。
Two horses grazed slowly on the fallow during the long afternoon.
兩匹馬在漫長的午後緩緩地在休耕地上吃草。
- fallow field
more explicit; preferred in modern everyday writing
- rested land
descriptive paraphrase; clearer for general readers
- crop
land currently planted and growing
文法句型
plow + the + fallow
a piece of + fallow
用法筆記
Subject or object is concrete farmland. Often appears with location modifiers ('the fallow behind the barn', 'a strip of fallow'). Most common in agricultural or rural writing.
常見錯誤
2. the condition or stretch of time during which a piece of farmland is left withou
休耕期
土地暫停耕種以恢復的時段
the condition or stretch of time during which a piece of farmland is left without crops so that the soil can recover.
Pim's family kept the western field in fallow throughout the dry years.
Pim 一家在那幾個乾旱年裡，讓西邊那塊田一直處於休耕期。
in + fallow: state of resting
The long fallow improved the soil enough for a strong harvest the following spring.
那段漫長的休耕期把土壤養得夠肥，使得隔年春天有了豐收。
the + fallow as a time period
Christopher kept the orchard in fallow for two seasons after the disease spread.
病害蔓延後，Christopher 讓果園進入兩季的休耕期。
A short fallow can sometimes restore tired soil more cheaply than fertilizer.
短期的休耕期有時比施肥更便宜地讓貧瘠的土壤恢復。
- resting period
everyday paraphrase; clearer for non-specialist readers
- dormancy
broader scientific term; used of plants and animals, not specifically of farmland
- cultivation
the active growing season
文法句型
in + fallow
leave + land + in + fallow
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense names the resting period or condition itself ('in fallow', 'a long fallow'), not the physical piece of land. Common preposition: 'in'.
常見錯誤
3. the traditional farming method of plowing a field and then leaving it unplanted
休耕法
讓田地輪流休息的傳統耕作做法
the traditional farming method of plowing a field and then leaving it unplanted for a season as a regular way of keeping the soil healthy.
Many ancient villages used fallow as a way to keep their soil rich year after year.
許多古老村莊靠著休耕法年復一年地維持土壤肥沃。
use + fallow as a method
Erik wrote a paper on how medieval farmers in Sweden depended on fallow.
Erik 寫了一篇文章，談瑞典中世紀農夫如何仰賴休耕法。
depend on + fallow (the practice)
Modern fertilizers have largely replaced fallow on big commercial farms.
現代化肥已大致取代了大型商業農場上的休耕法。
Some organic farmers have returned to fallow because chemical inputs damage local rivers.
有些有機農夫又回頭採用休耕法，因為化學投入物會破壞當地的河川。
- crop rotation
broader system; fallow is one possible step within crop rotation
- land resting
everyday paraphrase; preferred in non-specialist writing
- continuous cropping
growing crops on the same land every season
文法句型
the practice of + fallow
use + fallow as a method
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the farming METHOD or tradition itself, used like 'irrigation' or 'crop rotation'. Sense 2 names a specific resting period of one piece of land.
常見錯誤
fallow — 動詞
- fallowpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fallows3rd person singular
- fallowing-ing form
- fallowedpast simple
1. to turn over and break up a piece of land with a plow but not plant any seeds in
使休耕
犁地但不播種以休養土地
to turn over and break up a piece of land with a plow but not plant any seeds in it, usually to clear weeds and hold moisture in the soil.
The farmers fallowed the eastern fields every third year to control the spreading weeds.
農夫每三年就讓東邊那幾塊田休耕一次，以控制蔓延的雜草。
fallow + plural fields with frequency
Esme fallowed two acres after a long drought damaged the topsoil.
長期乾旱破壞了表土之後，Esme 讓兩英畝的地進入休耕。
fallow + acres as a recovery action
Older farmers in the valley still fallow their plots in the traditional way.
山谷裡的老農夫仍以傳統方式讓自家田地休耕。
Matthew fallowed the small back field, hoping the moisture would return before spring.
Matthew 讓後方那塊小田休耕，希望水分能在春天前回來。
文法句型
fallow + the land/field
fallow + a plot
用法筆記
Almost always transitive, with an object naming a piece of land. Common in technical agricultural writing. Distinguish from adjective sense 1: the verb names the active plowing action; the adjective describes the resulting unsown state.