limn
limn — 動詞
- limnpresent simple I / you / we / they
- limns3rd person singular
- limning-ing form
- limnedpast simple
1. to make a detailed picture of someone or something, especially by hand on paper
描繪；繪製
用線條或顏料畫出人或景物
to make a detailed picture of someone or something, especially by hand on paper or canvas.
Yael limned the old fisherman's face with quick pencil strokes.
Yael 用快速的鉛筆線條描繪出老漁夫的臉。
limn + a person as object (a face), drawing context
The young artist limned the castle ruins against a grey sky.
這位年輕藝術家在灰色的天空下描繪城堡的廢墟。
Jabari limned a map of the village on the cave wall.
Jabari 在洞穴的牆上繪製了一張村莊的地圖。
With a fine brush, Manuela limned each petal of the rose.
Manuela 用細筆描繪玫瑰的每一片花瓣。
The court painter was hired to limn the queen in oils.
這位宮廷畫師受雇用油彩為王后繪製肖像。
文法句型
limn + object
limn + object + in + medium
用法筆記
Chiefly literary or old-fashioned; in everyday English, 'draw' or 'paint' is used instead.
常見錯誤
2. to capture a person, place, or feeling in writing, film, or music so clearly tha
描寫；刻劃
用文字或藝術形式描述
to capture a person, place, or feeling in writing, film, or music so clearly that readers or listeners can picture it.
Hiro's novel limns the slow decline of a small fishing town.
Hiro 的小說描寫了一座小漁村緩慢的沒落。
subject is a creative work (novel); limn + abstract object
The documentary limns the daily life of street vendors in Manila.
這部紀錄片刻劃了馬尼拉街頭小販的日常生活。
Romi's poem limns long, lazy summers spent beside the warm sea.
Romi 的詩描寫了海邊那些慵懶漫長的夏日。
In her memoir, Élise limns the hardships of wartime Paris.
在回憶錄裡，Élise 描寫了戰時巴黎的種種苦難。
The song limns a lonely traveller crossing the desert at night.
這首歌刻劃了一位孤獨的旅人在夜裡橫越沙漠。
文法句型
limn + object
用法筆記
Subject is usually a creative work (novel, film, song); the object is often an abstract mood, era, or character rather than a physical thing.
3. (of light) to reveal an object's outline by shining softly along its edges.
映出輪廓
（光線）照出物體的輪廓
(of light) to reveal an object's outline by shining softly along its edges.
The morning sun limned the mountain peaks in soft gold.
清晨的陽光在山峰邊緣映出柔和的金色輪廓。
(of light) limn + the edges of [an object]
Candlelight limned Meera's face as she read by the fire.
燭光映出 Meera 的臉龐，她正就著爐火讀書。
a light source as subject: limn + a person's face
A full moon limned the rooftops of the sleeping village.
一輪滿月映出沉睡村莊屋頂的輪廓。
Streetlamps limned the wet pavement where Walid waited for the bus.
路燈在濕漉漉的人行道上映出 Walid 等公車的身影。
The campfire limned the children's faces as Lakan told ghost stories.
營火映出孩子們的臉，Lakan 正在講鬼故事。
- outline
plain and common; no need for light as the subject
- silhouette
shows a dark shape against a bright background
文法句型
limn + object
用法筆記
Almost always has a light source as its subject (sun, moon, candlelight) and appears in literary description.