mercurial
mercurial — 形容詞
- mercurialpositive
- more mercurialcomparative
- most mercurialsuperlative
1. describes a person or thing whose mood, opinions, or behavior shift quickly and
善變的；反覆
情緒或意見反覆無常的
describes a person or thing whose mood, opinions, or behavior shift quickly and without warning; so unpredictable that others cannot guess what will happen next
Brandon's mercurial temperament made it hard for his colleagues to predict how he would react in meetings.
Brandon 反覆無常的脾氣讓同事們很難預測他在會議上會有什麼反應。
mercurial + temperament (collocation for personality)
The actress was known for her mercurial moods, which shifted from warm and friendly to cold and distant in minutes.
那位女演員以善變的情緒聞名，可以在幾分鐘內從熱情友善變得冷漠疏遠。
mercurial moods — describes sudden emotional shifts
Investors grew frustrated with the mercurial stock market, where prices swung wildly from one day to the next.
投資人對反覆無常的股市感到沮喪，價格從一天到另一天劇烈波動。
mercurial + stock market / prices (extended to non-person subjects)
Devika found her roommate's mercurial nature exhausting — cheerful one morning and silent the next.
Devika 覺得室友善變的個性很累人——早上還高高興興，下午就不發一語。
The mountain weather is famously mercurial, switching between sunshine and rain within an hour.
山區的天氣出了名地反覆無常，一小時內就能從陽光普照變成下雨。
mercurial + weather (extended to natural phenomena)
- mercurial temperament
- mercurial mood
- mercurial nature
- mercurial weather
- mercurial stock market
- volatile
stronger focus on danger or explosiveness; mercurial can be neutral or even charming
- fickle
more negative, implies unreliability in loyalty or affection
- capricious
suggests changes driven by whim or impulse rather than any clear cause
- stable
opposite in every dimension — dependable, unchanging
- consistent
emphasises predictability in behavior or performance
用法筆記
Most commonly used to describe a person's mood or temperament. Can extend to abstract things like markets, weather, or politics when they change unpredictably. Avoid using for simple everyday changes (e.g., 'the weather was mercurial' is fine for dramatic shifts, not for normal rain clearing up).
常見錯誤
2. having a mind that works with exceptional speed, energy, and liveliness; showing
機敏的；敏捷
頭腦靈活、反應快速的
having a mind that works with exceptional speed, energy, and liveliness; showing sharp intelligence and enthusiasm in thinking, conversation, or creative work
Ada's mercurial mind impressed the philosophy professors with its speed and originality during the debate.
Ada 敏捷的思維在辯論會上以驚人的速度和原創性令哲學教授們印象深刻。
mercurial + mind (collocation for intellectual quickness)
The playwright's mercurial wit kept the audience laughing one moment and thinking deeply the next.
那位劇作家機敏的才智讓觀眾一會兒大笑，一會兒陷入深思。
mercurial + wit (collocation for verbal quickness)
Heloísa's mercurial intelligence lets her grasp complex ideas faster than anyone else in the lab.
Heloísa 以敏捷的才智聞名——她理解複雜概念的速度遠快於研究小組中的任何人。
The director valued Ryan's mercurial energy on set, where he solved production problems before anyone else noticed them.
導演很重視 Ryan 在片場的靈活幹勁，他總是在其他人注意到之前就解決了製作問題。
mercurial + energy (collocation for lively quickness)
- mercurial mind
- mercurial wit
- mercurial intelligence
- mercurial energy
- quick-witted
more direct and everyday; mercurial adds a sense of lively energy
- sharp
simpler word; lacks the energetic enthusiasm of mercurial
- lively
broader; can describe energy without intellectual speed
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 focuses on speed and brightness of mind, NOT on changeability or unpredictability. A person can be mercurial (sense 2) without being moody. This sense is less common in everyday speech and appears more in literary or formal descriptions.
常見錯誤
3. containing the metallic element mercury (symbol Hg), or resulting from exposure
含汞的；汞
含有元素汞的
containing the metallic element mercury (symbol Hg), or resulting from exposure to or contact with this substance
The old thermometer contained a mercurial substance that had to be disposed of by a specialist team.
那支舊溫度計含有汞物質，必須由專業團隊處理。
mercurial + substance (technical collocation for materials containing mercury)
Miners who worked with mercurial compounds developed serious health problems over several decades.
長期接觸汞化合物的礦工在幾十年後出現了嚴重的健康問題。
The laboratory stored its mercurial reagents in sealed glass containers away from heat.
實驗室將含汞試劑存放在密封的玻璃容器中，遠離熱源。
Some large fish contain mercurial compounds that build up in their bodies over many years.
某些大型魚類體內含有汞化合物，會在多年間逐漸累積。
mercurial compounds — used in environmental/health contexts
- mercurial compound
- mercurial substance
- mercurial reagent
- mercurial poisoning
- mercury-containing
more transparent and common in non-specialist writing
- mercury-based
suggests mercury as an ingredient rather than a contaminant
用法筆記
Restricted to scientific, medical, or industrial contexts. In everyday language, 'containing mercury' or 'mercury-based' is preferred over 'mercurial' for clarity.
mercurial — 名詞
1. a drug, chemical preparation, or other product whose active ingredient is the el
汞製劑；汞藥
含汞的藥物或化學品
a drug, chemical preparation, or other product whose active ingredient is the element mercury; formerly used in medical treatments and still found in some industrial and scientific applications
Doctors in the nineteenth century often prescribed mercurials for skin diseases, with little understanding of the risks.
十九世紀的醫生經常開立汞製劑來治療皮膚病，對其風險所知甚少。
mercurials (noun, usually plural) — drugs containing mercury
The industrial spill involved several mercurials that required a hazmat team to clean up safely.
該工業外洩事件涉及數種汞化合物，需要危險物處理小組進行安全清理。
Many traditional cosmetics from past centuries contained mercurials that are now banned as toxic.
過去幾個世紀的許多傳統化妝品都含有汞製劑，如今已被認定有毒而禁用。
Dentists stopped using certain mercurials in tooth fillings when safer materials became available.
牙醫在更安全的材料問世後，便停止在補牙中使用某些汞製劑。
- prescribe mercurials
- mercurials were used
- toxic mercurials
用法筆記
Uncommon in modern everyday English. The plural form 'mercurials' is more frequent than the singular. In medical writing, specific drug names (e.g., 'calomel', 'thiomersal') are usually preferred.
同根字
- mercury名詞B2
- mercurially副詞C2
常見搭配
副詞搭配
- notably mercurial
- famously mercurial
- increasingly mercurial
常用片語
- mercurial change
- mercurial shifts
- mercurial temperament