mending
mending — 名詞
1. items of clothing that have holes, tears, or other damage and are waiting to be
待補衣物
需要縫補的衣服
items of clothing that have holes, tears, or other damage and are waiting to be sewn or patched back into good condition
Grandma keeps a basket of mending beside her chair and works on it every evening.
奶奶在椅子旁放了一籃待補的衣物，每天晚上都會縫補。
uncountable: a basket of mending
Wei brought his torn jacket to the tailor and left it with the rest of the mending.
偉把破掉的夾克拿到裁縫那，和其他待補衣物放在一起。
collocation: left with the mending
The pile of mending grew larger after the children came home from summer camp.
孩子們從夏令營回來後，待補衣物的堆疊越來越多。
Liam sorted through the mending and set aside the shirts that only needed new buttons.
Liam 整理待補衣物時，把只需要換新鈕扣的襯衫挑出來放在一旁。
- repairs
broader term; can apply to objects other than clothing
文法句型
mending + for + noun
用法筆記
Always uncountable; refers to a collection of items needing repair, not a single garment.
常見錯誤
2. the activity or process of fixing something that is broken, torn, or no longer w
修補
修理物品的過程或行為
the activity or process of fixing something that is broken, torn, or no longer working properly
The mending of the old stone wall took the workers three full days.
修補那道舊石牆花了工人整整三天的時間。
pattern: mending of [thing]
Elena spent the afternoon doing mending around the house instead of going out.
Elena 沒有出門，而是在家裡花了一整個下午修補東西。
The mending of the roof had to wait until the dry weather arrived.
修補屋頂的工作必須等到乾燥的天氣來臨才能進行。
After years of neglect, the mending of the fence became a top priority for the neighbourhood committee.
經過多年忽視後，修補圍籬成了社區委員會的首要任務。
文法句型
mending + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often describes the repair process for physical structures (walls, fences, roofs). Less common for everyday objects.
mending — 動詞
1. to return something that is broken, torn, or damaged to a good condition by sewi
修理；修補
將破損物品修復
to return something that is broken, torn, or damaged to a good condition by sewing, gluing, or otherwise fixing it
Nadia mended the rip in her backpack with a needle and strong thread.
Nadia 用針和堅固的線修補了背包上的裂口。
mend + noun phrase: mend the rip
The shoemaker mended the leather sole of Hugo's favourite boots in less than an hour.
鞋匠不到一小時就修好了 Hugo 最愛那雙靴子的皮鞋底。
mend + specific object (boot sole)
Amara carefully mended the lace on her grandmother's wedding dress.
Amara 小心翼翼地修補了奶奶婚紗上的蕾絲。
Tom tried to mend the fishing net before the salmon season began.
Tom 在鮭魚季節開始前試著修補漁網。
The broken toy was mended with glue and left to dry on the kitchen table.
破掉的玩具用膠水黏好，放在廚房桌上晾乾。
文法句型
mend + noun phrase
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'fix' — 'mend' is slightly more traditional and often used for fabric, leather, nets, and other items that can be sewn or patched.
常見錯誤
2. to become healthy again after being ill, injured, or very weak, especially slowl
康復；痊癒
身體逐漸恢復健康
to become healthy again after being ill, injured, or very weak, especially slowly and naturally over time
After the operation, Kenji stayed home for two weeks to let his leg mend.
手術後，Kenji 在家待了兩週，讓腿慢慢康復。
intransitive: let his leg mend
The doctor said the bone would mend on its own if Luis kept the cast dry.
醫生說只要 Luis 的石膏保持乾燥，骨頭會自行癒合。
bone mend — common collocation for fractures
Samira's sprained ankle mended faster than anyone expected.
Samira 扭傷的腳踝復原得比任何人預期的都快。
Old scars take time to mend, but the body is surprisingly good at healing itself.
舊傷口需要時間痊癒，但人體的自我修復能力非常驚人。
- worsen
to become more ill or injured
文法句型
mend (no object)
用法筆記
Primarily British in this sense. Often describes bones, wounds, or body parts healing naturally. 'Recover' or 'heal' are more common in American English.
常見錯誤
3. to improve or repair a relationship, friendship, or connection between people af
修復(關係)
改善或恢復人際關係
to improve or repair a relationship, friendship, or connection between people after an argument, disagreement, or difficult period
Chinua tried to mend his friendship with Omar by apologising for the harsh words he had said.
Chinua 為自己說過的那些刻薄話道歉，試著修復與 Omar 的友誼。
mend + friendship — common collocation
The two families mended their relationship after years of conflict over the land dispute.
這兩個家族在經過多年的土地紛爭後，終於修復了彼此的關係。
A simple phone call can sometimes mend a broken bond between old friends.
有時一通簡單的電話就能修補老朋友之間破裂的情誼。
Hana and Yumi finally mended their disagreement and went back to working together at the cafe.
Hana 和 Yumi 終於化解了分歧，重新一起在咖啡店工作。
文法句型
mend + noun phrase (relationship, friendship, ties)
用法筆記
Subject is typically a person or group. Object is always an abstract relationship noun — never a person. You mend a friendship, not a friend.
常見錯誤
4. to correct a mistake, error, or wrong situation by taking appropriate action
改正；糾正
修正錯誤或問題
to correct a mistake, error, or wrong situation by taking appropriate action
The committee met to mend the errors in the budget report before it was submitted.
委員會在預算報告提交前開會更正其中的錯誤。
mend + errors — formal register
The new manager worked hard to mend the problems left by her predecessor.
新任主管努力解決前任留下的問題。
Kwame realised he had given the wrong directions and quickly mended the mistake.
Kwame 發現自己報錯了路，便趕緊改正了這個錯誤。
The fault in the accounting system was mended before any money went missing.
會計系統中的錯誤在資金遺失之前就已被修正。
文法句型
mend + noun phrase (mistake, fault, error)
用法筆記
Fairly formal. More common in British English than American. 'Correct' or 'fix' are more neutral alternatives.
常見錯誤
5. to improve one's behaviour, character, or moral standards after a period of wron
改過；改過自新
改善行為或道德
to improve one's behaviour, character, or moral standards after a period of wrongdoing, especially by making a conscious decision to change
After spending a year in prison, Dev decided to mend his ways and start a new life.
在監獄待了一年後，Dev 決定改過自新，展開新的人生。
fixed expression: mend one's ways
The priest told the young man that it was never too late to mend and seek forgiveness.
神父告訴那個年輕人，改過自新並尋求寬恕永遠不嫌晚。
intransitive: mend = reform
Kavita knew she had hurt her family and promised to mend before it was too late.
Kavita 知道自己傷害了家人，並承諾在為時已晚之前改過。
After the court case, Santiago mended his ways and left the gang that had led him into trouble.
在那場官司之後，Santiago 終於改過自新，離開了帶他走上歪路的幫派。
- reform
stronger; implies a complete change in character
- improve
milder and more general
- turn over a new leaf
idiom with the same meaning, less formal
- backslide
to return to bad behaviour after attempting to change
文法句型
mend + one's ways
mend (no object)
用法筆記
The fixed phrase 'mend one's ways' is the most common form. Used intransitively ('he mended') it is old-fashioned and mostly restricted to literary or religious contexts.