ken
ken — 名詞
1. the limit of what a person knows or understands — most often used in the fixed p
認知範圍
個人知識或理解的界限
the limit of what a person knows or understands — most often used in the fixed phrase 'beyond one's ken' to describe something that is too unfamiliar or complex for someone to grasp
The legal arguments in the courtroom were far beyond the ken of most jury members.
法庭上的法律論證遠遠超出了大多數陪審團成員的認知範圍。
fixed expression: beyond + possessive + ken
Mark admitted that the technical details about the engine were outside his ken.
Mark 承認，有關引擎的技術細節超出了他的認知範圍。
When the physicists discussed string theory, the graduate students knew it lay beyond their ken.
當物理學家討論弦理論時，研究生也知道這超出了他們的認知範圍。
Lakshmi had never studied economics, so the budget discussion was completely outside her ken.
Lakshmi 從未學過經濟學，因此預算討論完全超出了她的認知範圍。
- understanding
more general and much more common; does not require a fixed-expression structure
- comprehension
more formal; similar range of meaning but not idiomatically tied to 'beyond'
- grasp
informal; often used in 'beyond one's grasp' with a similar meaning
文法句型
beyond/outside + possessive + ken
用法筆記
Nearly always appears in the fixed expressions 'beyond one's ken' or 'outside one's ken'. A possessive determiner (my, his, her, its, our, their, one's) is required — the bare phrase 'beyond ken' is ungrammatical in standard English.
常見錯誤
2. the range or distance that a person can see — now mainly used in literary or poe
視野
視力所能及的範圍
the range or distance that a person can see — now mainly used in literary or poetic English
From the watchtower, every building in the old town was within Erik's ken.
從瞭望塔望去，舊城區的每棟建築都在 Erik 的視野之內。
pattern: within + possessive + ken (visual sense)
The lighthouse keeper scanned the sea, watching each vessel that entered his ken.
燈塔管理員掃視海面，注視著每一艘進入他視野的船隻。
Mayumi stood on the cliff edge and took in the entire coastline within her ken.
Mayumi 站在懸崖邊，將視野內整條海岸線盡收眼底。
As the hot-air balloon rose higher, the mountains gradually came within the passengers' ken.
隨著熱氣球越升越高，群山逐漸進入乘客們的視野。
- sight
the standard modern word for the ability to see; far more common
- view
more general, used for both literal and figurative seeing
- field of vision
more technical or descriptive than the poetic 'ken'
文法句型
within/beyond + possessive + ken
用法筆記
This literal visual sense is now considered archaic or highly literary. In modern English the cognitive sense (noun sense 1, 'RANGE OF KNOWLEDGE') is far more common.
ken — 動詞
- kenpresent simple I / you / we / they
- kens3rd person singular
- kenning-ing form
- kennedpast simple
1. to be aware of a person or a thing by using the senses, the mind, or personal ex
知曉
古語或蘇格蘭方言，意為認識或知道
to be aware of a person or a thing by using the senses, the mind, or personal experience — a word used mainly in Scottish and northern English dialects, and in older or poetic writing
'Do ye ken the old fisherman who lives by the pier?' asked the shopkeeper.
「你認識那個住在碼頭邊的老漁夫嗎？」店主問道。
Scottish dialect pattern: 'Do ye ken...?'
Nikos kenned that the trail led to the valley, having walked the path before.
Nikos 知道這條小徑通往山谷，因為他以前走過這條路。
'I ken these hills better than any map,' said the shepherd with quiet confidence.
「我對這些山丘的了解勝過任何地圖。」牧羊人平靜而自信地說。
The children did not ken the stranger who appeared at the village market that morning.
孩子們不認識那天早上出現在村莊市集的陌生人。
文法句型
ken + noun phrase
ken + that-clause
用法筆記
Virtually absent from standard modern English. In present-day written usage, it appears almost exclusively in quoted Scottish dialect speech, historical fiction, or poetry. The past tense can be 'kenned' or 'kent' (Scots).