hollowness
/ˈhɒləʊnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːləʊnəs/ (ame, ipa)
hollowness — 名詞
1. the quality that words, promises, or feelings have when they sound impressive bu
空洞；虛偽
言詞或感情聽起來響亮卻無實質的特質
the quality that words, promises, or feelings have when they sound impressive but carry no real meaning, honesty, or value behind them.
After the scandal, voters quickly saw the hollowness of the mayor's promises.
醜聞爆發後，選民很快就看出市長承諾的空洞。
pattern: the hollowness of [noun]
Anong felt the hollowness of her boss's praise once she learned about the layoffs.
在得知裁員消息後，Anong 感受到老闆讚美的虛偽。
common collocation: hollowness of someone's praise/words
The film exposes the hollowness of celebrity culture through five sad portraits.
這部電影透過五段令人難過的人物刻畫，揭露了名人文化的空洞。
There is a real hollowness to the apology, since nothing about his behaviour has changed.
這份道歉真的有種虛偽，因為他的行為一點也沒有改變。
Renata's poem captures the hollowness of slogans repeated without belief.
Renata 的詩捕捉了那些被反覆喊出、卻無人相信的口號的空洞。
- emptiness
broader; emptiness can be emotional or physical, while hollowness of words stresses insincerity.
- insincerity
more direct accusation; hollowness suggests something sounded grand but proved meaningless.
- meaninglessness
stresses lack of substance; hollowness adds a sense of being deliberately misleading.
文法句型
the hollowness of [noun]
用法筆記
Subject is usually an abstract noun (promise, words, victory, apology, smile, gesture). Distinguish from sense 2 (a literal empty inside) — sense 1 is always figurative and judgemental.
常見錯誤
2. the physical quality of an object that has an empty space inside instead of bein
中空
物體內部不是實心而有空腔的物理特質
the physical quality of an object that has an empty space inside instead of being solid all the way through, such as a tube, drum, or bone.
You can tell the hollowness of the bamboo by gently knocking on its side.
你輕敲竹子的側面，就可以聽出它的中空。
pattern: tell the hollowness of [object] by [action]
The hollowness of the old church bell gives it a deep, ringing sound.
這座老教堂鐘的中空，讓它發出低沉而響亮的聲音。
physics/acoustics context
Bird bones have a surprising hollowness that helps them fly long distances.
鳥類的骨頭具有令人意外的中空，能幫助牠們長距離飛行。
Mizuki noticed the hollowness of the wooden statue when she lifted it with one hand.
Mizuki 用一隻手就把木雕舉了起來，發覺了它的中空。
The hollowness inside the iron pipe lets water flow through it easily.
鐵管內部的中空讓水可以順暢地流過。
文法句型
the hollowness of [object]
用法筆記
Object is usually a manufactured item or natural structure (pipe, bone, shell, drum, tree trunk). Distinguish from sense 1 (figurative): this sense always refers to a literal empty interior in a physical object.
常見錯誤
3. the look of cheeks that curve inward or eyes that sit deep in their sockets, usu
凹陷；消瘦
因疲倦、生病或衰老臉頰或眼窩深陷的樣子
the look of cheeks that curve inward or eyes that sit deep in their sockets, usually because a person is very tired, ill, hungry, or old.
Gabriel noticed the hollowness in his grandmother's cheeks after her long illness.
Gabriel 注意到祖母在長期生病後臉頰的凹陷。
pattern: hollowness in [body part]
The photographs showed the hollowness of the prisoners' faces after weeks without proper food.
那些照片顯示了犯人在數週缺乏食物後臉部的消瘦。
common collocation: hollowness of someone's face/cheeks/eyes
Three sleepless nights left a strange hollowness around Saira's eyes.
三個失眠的夜晚，讓 Saira 眼睛周圍出現了奇怪的凹陷。
The actor wore careful makeup to suggest the hollowness of an old, weary king.
為了扮演一位年邁疲憊的國王，這位演員仔細地化妝，營造出消瘦的感覺。
A doctor can read the hollowness of a child's cheeks as a sign of poor nutrition.
醫生可以從孩子臉頰的凹陷，看出營養不良的跡象。
- gauntness
more clinical; gauntness covers the whole thin face, hollowness focuses on the inward curve.
- sunkenness
rare and almost the same meaning; sunkenness sounds even more medical.
文法句型
the hollowness of [body part]
用法筆記
Subject is almost always a face, cheeks, or eyes — never other parts of the body. Distinguish from sense 2: a sunken face has hollowness because flesh has shrunk inward, not because the head contains a hidden cavity.