hieroglyphics
hieroglyphics — 名詞
1. A way of writing where pictures and symbols stand for words, best known from the
象形文字
古埃及使用的圖畫符號書寫系統
A way of writing where pictures and symbols stand for words, best known from the monuments of ancient Egypt.
Harper spent hours copying the hieroglyphics from the temple wall into her notebook.
Harper 花了好幾個小時，把神廟牆上的象形文字抄到她的筆記本裡。
The museum guide explained that Egyptian hieroglyphics mix sound signs with picture signs.
博物館導覽員解釋說，埃及的象形文字結合了表音符號和圖畫符號。
describing how hieroglyphics work: mixing sound and picture signs
Selim pointed to a carved owl among the hieroglyphics and asked what it meant.
Selim 指著象形文字中一隻雕刻的貓頭鷹，問那是什麼意思。
Scholars finally cracked the code of hieroglyphics after finding the Rosetta Stone.
學者們在找到羅塞塔石碑後，終於破解了象形文字的密碼。
The tomb's ceiling was covered in bright blue hieroglyphics that glowed in the torchlight.
墓室的頂部覆滿了鮮藍色的象形文字，在火炬光下閃閃發亮。
- hieroglyphs
refers to the individual picture-characters rather than the writing system as a whole
- pictograms
a broader term for any picture-based writing, not limited to ancient Egypt
文法句型
hieroglyphics + singular verb (the writing system)
hieroglyphics + plural verb (the individual symbols)
用法筆記
Almost always refers to the ancient Egyptian writing system, though other cultures such as the Maya also developed picture-based scripts.
常見錯誤
2. Handwriting or printed text that is so messy or unclear that nobody can read it,
難以辨讀的字
字跡潦草難認，像符號一樣
Handwriting or printed text that is so messy or unclear that nobody can read it, as if it were written in a secret code.
Astrid looked at the doctor's prescription and saw nothing but hieroglyphics.
Astrid 看著醫生的處方箋，只看見一堆難以辨讀的字。
figurative use: nothing but hieroglyphics
Tara's handwriting is so messy that her notes look like hieroglyphics to everyone else.
Tara 的字跡實在太亂了，對其他人來說她的筆記就像難以辨讀的字一樣。
The old letter had faded in the rain, turning the words into unreadable hieroglyphics.
那封舊信被雨水泡爛了，上面的字跡變成了一團難以辨讀的字。
Hugo laughed and called his shopping list hieroglyphics — even he could not read it.
Hugo 笑著說他的購物清單簡直是難以辨讀的字，連他自己都看不懂。
To a beginner, a page of sheet music can seem like hieroglyphics at first glance.
對初學者來說，一頁樂譜乍看之下就像難以辨讀的字一樣。
- scrawl
specifically refers to hurried, messy handwriting rather than anything indecipherable
- chicken scratch
very informal; only used for bad handwriting, not for printed text or symbols
文法句型
look like + hieroglyphics
read like + hieroglyphics
nothing but + hieroglyphics
用法筆記
Used figuratively. The subject is typically messy handwriting, faded print, or any system of marks the speaker cannot make sense of.