harpy
/ˈhɑːpi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːrpi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhär-pē/ (ame, mw)
harpy — 名詞
- harpysingular
- harpiesplural
1. a frightening monster from old Greek and Roman myths, pictured as having a woman
鳥身女妖
希臘神話中女首鳥身的怪物
a frightening monster from old Greek and Roman myths, pictured as having a woman's face on top of the wings, body, and claws of a large bird.
On the museum wall, Daichi sketched a harpy swooping down toward a fleeing sailor.
在博物館的牆上，Daichi 畫了一隻鳥身女妖俯衝撲向逃跑的水手。
countable: a harpy / two harpies
The painting showed three harpies snatching food from the king's banquet table.
那幅畫描繪三隻鳥身女妖從國王的宴席上搶走食物。
plural form 'harpies' for multiple creatures
In Greek myth, harpies were sent by the gods to punish men who broke a sacred promise.
在希臘神話中，鳥身女妖被眾神派來懲罰違背神聖誓言的人。
Ingrid told the children that the howling wind sounded like a harpy circling above the cottage.
Ingrid 告訴孩子們，呼嘯的風聲聽起來就像一隻鳥身女妖在小屋上空盤旋。
用法筆記
Almost always appears in mythological or fantasy contexts — discussions of Greek myth, classical art, novels, or role-playing games. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names a creature and carries no insult.
常見錯誤
2. an offensive label for a woman the speaker sees as bad-tempered, shouting, and u
潑婦；惡女
罵女性兇悍愛吼的冒犯字眼
an offensive label for a woman the speaker sees as bad-tempered, shouting, and unpleasant to deal with — drawn from the cruel monster of myth.
The tabloid called the actress a harpy after she shouted at a journalist outside the courtroom.
在那位女演員於法院外對記者大吼之後，小報就叫她潑婦。
typical context: media or gossip labelling a woman
Samir refused to use the word 'harpy' about his neighbour, calling it an old and sexist insult.
Samir 拒絕用「潑婦」來形容他的鄰居，認為那是個過時又帶歧視的侮辱。
register: speakers often flag the word as offensive
In the play, the husband bitterly described his mother-in-law as a harpy who ruined every family meal.
在那齣戲裡，丈夫滿懷怨氣地把岳母形容成一個毀掉每頓家族飯局的潑婦。
Reviewers attacked the novel for painting every powerful woman as either a saint or a harpy.
書評抨擊這本小說把每位有權力的女性都寫成不是聖人就是潑婦。
用法筆記
Strongly offensive and sexist — there is no male equivalent in everyday English. Modern speakers typically use the word only to quote or criticise someone else's misogyny, not as their own description. Distinguish from sense 1, which is the literal mythical creature with no insult.