indirectness
indirectness — 名詞
1. the practice of hinting at what you mean rather than saying it directly, usually
含糊其辭
刻意不直接表達，以暗示代替明說
the practice of hinting at what you mean rather than saying it directly, usually to be polite or to avoid causing offence
Natsumi's indirectness in the team meeting frustrated her boss, who needed a clear answer before the deadline.
Natsumi 在團隊會議中的含糊其辭讓主管很不耐煩，主管需要在截止前得到明確答覆。
Honoka valued the indirectness of her grandmother's advice — a gentle hint felt kinder than blunt criticism.
Honoka 很珍惜祖母給建議時的含糊其辭——溫柔的暗示比直白的批評更讓人好受。
At Yuna's Seoul office, her indirectness — murmuring 'that may be hard' instead of 'no' — was seen as politeness, not weakness.
在首爾的辦公室裡，Yuna 的含糊其辭——輕聲說「這可能有點難」而不是直接說「不」——被解讀為禮貌，而非軟弱。
Thandiwe's indirectness during the salary talk made it impossible for her manager to know what she actually wanted.
Thandiwe 在薪資談話中的含糊其辭，讓主管根本搞不清楚她真正想要什麼。
Santiago admired his wife's skill at using indirectness to turn down invitations without hurting anyone's feelings.
Santiago 很佩服妻子能用含糊其辭婉拒邀約，又不傷到任何人的感受。
- evasiveness
more negative — suggests deliberately hiding the truth
- circumlocution
more formal — focuses on using many words instead of few
- diplomacy
more positive — emphasises skill in handling sensitive situations
- directness
the quality of saying exactly what you mean without softening
- frankness
emphasises honesty and openness, even when uncomfortable
常見錯誤
indirectness — 形容詞
- indirectnesspositive
- more indirectnesscomparative
- most indirectnesssuperlative
1. not going by the shortest or most direct path; moving around something instead o
迂迴的
路線繞遠而不走直線
not going by the shortest or most direct path; moving around something instead of through it
Ehsan took an indirect route through the narrow back streets to dodge the traffic jam on the motorway.
Ehsan 走了一條迂迴的小路穿過窄巷，避開高速公路上的塞車。
indirect route — a path that is not the shortest
The indirect mountain path wound around every hill and stream, turning a short trip into a full morning's walk.
那條迂迴的山路繞過每一座山丘和溪流，把短程路途變成了一整個早上的徒步。
Haruki booked an indirect flight with a four-hour stop in Dubai because the direct tickets had sold out.
Haruki 訂了一班在杜拜停留四小時的迂迴航班，因為直飛票已經賣完了。
The bus follows a frustratingly indirect loop through three villages before finally reaching the town centre.
這班公車走了一條令人火大的迂迴路線，繞過三個村莊才終於抵達鎮中心。
- roundabout
often used for roads, journeys, or ways of reaching a destination
- circuitous
more formal — used mainly for routes and logical reasoning
- meandering
suggests a relaxed, wandering path without urgency
用法筆記
This sense describes physical paths, roads, and journeys. For speech that avoids the point, see adj/2 (NOT GETTING TO THE POINT).
2. speaking or writing in a way that circles around the main subject instead of sta
委婉的
說話不直接點明，繞著主題轉
speaking or writing in a way that circles around the main subject instead of stating things plainly
Amara's indirect reply — 'I'll think it over' — told Claudio she was not interested.
Amara 那句委婉的回覆——「我再考慮看看」——讓 Claudio 知道她不感興趣。
indirect reply / indirect answer — a response that avoids saying yes or no
The team leader asked an indirect question about the missing files, hoping someone would speak up.
小組長問了一個委婉的問題打聽遺失檔案的事，希望有人能主動開口。
indirect question — asking something without naming the real concern
Marc's indirect way of asking for help — loud sighs beside his supervisor — left her baffled about what he needed.
Marc 那種委婉的求助方式——在主管旁邊大聲嘆氣——讓主管完全搞不清楚他需要什麼。
Asha's quarterly report was maddeningly indirect: three pages of sales history before a single guarded sentence about the lost contract.
Asha 的季度報告委婉到令人抓狂：三頁的銷售紀錄之後，才用一個戒慎的句子暗示丟了合約。
用法筆記
Often used for diplomatic or polite avoidance rather than dishonesty. Compare with adj/3 (NOT OPEN OR HONEST), which implies deliberate deception.
常見錯誤
3. deliberately hiding the truth or one's real intentions behind words that seem in
不坦誠
刻意隱瞞真相或真實意圖
deliberately hiding the truth or one's real intentions behind words that seem innocent
Laila sensed something wrong in the salesman's indirect answers about the car's repair history.
Laila 感覺到業務員對車子維修紀錄的回答有點不坦誠，似乎另有隱情。
indirect answers — implying concealment, not just politeness
Dimitri found his car-loan contract deliberately indirect: the penalty rate sat hidden inside a paragraph labelled 'Customer Care.'
Dimitri 覺得車貸合約刻意不坦誠：罰款利率藏在標題為「客戶關懷」的段落裡。
Marc warned his brother that the landlord's indirect promises about fixing the roof usually meant nothing would happen.
Marc 警告他弟弟，房東那些關於修屋頂的不坦誠承諾，通常代表什麼都不會發生。
At the town hall, Claudio's indirect answers — deflecting tax questions with fairness talk — left voters sure he had no plan.
在市鎮廳，Claudio 不坦誠的回答——用公平話題迴避稅務問題——讓選民確信他根本沒有方案。
- straightforward
honest and open, without hidden meanings or tricks
- transparent
so clear and open that nothing is concealed
用法筆記
This sense carries a moral judgement: the speaker or writer is being indirect in order to deceive. Distinguish from adj/2, where the motive is usually politeness or diplomacy.
4. not happening as the immediate result of something, but coming through a chain o
附帶的
非直接造成，而是經由其他因素間接引發
not happening as the immediate result of something, but coming through a chain of other events or factors
The factory closure had an indirect effect on neighbourhood cafés, which lost most of their regular lunch customers.
工廠關閉對附近的小餐館產生了附帶的影響，它們失去了大多數的常客午餐族群。
indirect effect — a consequence that comes through intermediate steps
Asha's promotion was an indirect result of her department head leaving — the company needed to fill the gap quickly.
Asha 的升遷是部門主管離職的附帶結果——公司需要趕快填補空缺。
The storm caused direct damage to the roof, but the indirect costs — lost business and spoiled stock — were far higher.
暴風雨對屋頂造成了直接損壞，但附帶的成本——生意損失和存貨報廢——反而高出許多。
Riko's doctor traced her back pain to an indirect cause: years of tensing up during stressful calls at work.
Riko 的醫生把她的背痛追溯到一個附帶的原因：多年來在工作時接聽高壓電話，身體一直緊繃。
- secondary
coming after something else in importance, time, or sequence
- knock-on
mainly British — describes effects that cascade from an initial event
- derivative
more formal — emphasises that something comes from a source
用法筆記
Subject is typically an effect, result, consequence, cause, or cost. Distinguish from adj/5 (LOOSELY CONNECTED): this sense describes a cause-and-effect chain; adj/5 describes a general lack of clear connection.
5. having only a distant, weak, or unclear link to something, rather than a close o
間接的
關聯薄弱、不明顯或遙遠
having only a distant, weak, or unclear link to something, rather than a close or obvious one
Yuna's connection to the investigation was indirect — she had once shared a flat with someone who knew the suspect.
Yuna 與這起調查的關聯是間接的——她曾經和認識嫌犯的人合租過公寓。
indirect connection — a link that is remote or through other people
Detective Asha admitted the evidence was indirect at best — two break-ins on a Tuesday, same postcode, nothing more.
Asha 警探承認證據充其量只是間接的——兩起竊案都在週二、同一郵遞區號，除此之外毫無關聯。
indirect evidence — proof that suggests but does not firmly establish a fact
Haruki never believed in the indirect link between fuel prices and bread until his bakery's flour costs doubled overnight.
Haruki 從來不信油價和麵包之間有間接關聯，直到他烘焙坊的麵粉成本一夜之間翻倍。
Laila's role in the hire was indirect: she slipped a friend's CV onto her boss's desk and said nothing.
Laila 在這次招聘中的角色是間接的；她把朋友的履歷悄悄放到主管桌上，什麼也沒說。
- tangential
barely touching on the main subject; only slightly relevant
- remote
far removed in connection or relevance
- tenuous
so weak or slight that the link may not really exist