mercy
/ˈmɜːsi/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɜːrsi/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmər-sē/ (ame, mw)
mercy — 名詞
- mercysingular
- merciesplural
1. kindness or forgiveness that a person with authority shows by choosing not to pu
寬恕；憐憫
對犯錯者表現仁慈而不嚴懲
kindness or forgiveness that a person with authority shows by choosing not to punish a wrongdoer as harshly as they could
The judge showed mercy and gave the young driver a shorter sentence than usual.
法官展現了寬恕，給年輕駕駛人比平常更短的刑期。
show mercy — to choose a less harsh punishment
Kemi admitted her mistake, and her manager had mercy on her by not firing her.
Kemi 承認了錯誤，她的主管對她寬容處理，沒有開除她。
have mercy on someone — to forgive instead of punishing
The old king was known for his mercy toward prisoners captured in battle.
老國王以對戰俘懷有憐憫之心而聞名。
Wren cried for mercy as the older boy refused to let go of his arm.
Wren 大聲求饒，因為那個年長的男孩不肯放開他的手臂。
- compassion
broader — a feeling of sympathy for suffering, without necessarily having power over the person
- leniency
more formal; used in legal or disciplinary settings where punishment is reduced
- forgiveness
focuses on letting go of anger rather than on having the power to punish
- cruelty
deliberate infliction of pain or suffering
- ruthlessness
showing no pity at all
用法筆記
Frequently used in fixed expressions: 'have mercy on (someone),' 'show mercy (to/toward),' and 'beg/cry for mercy.' Subject is typically a person or institution with authority over someone who has done wrong.
常見錯誤
2. the situation of being totally controlled by a person or force that could harm y
無力抵抗
處於任由他人或外力控制的處境
the situation of being totally controlled by a person or force that could harm you, without any means of protecting yourself
With no engine power, the fishing boat was at the mercy of the storm.
失去引擎動力後，那艘漁船只能任由暴風雨擺佈。
at the mercy of — completely controlled by a powerful force
Eli felt at the mercy of the illness that kept him in bed for days.
Eli 覺得自己對那場讓他在床上躺了好幾天的疾病完全無能為力。
Flood victims were left to the mercy of the rising waters with no rescue arriving.
洪水災民只能任由不斷上漲的水勢威脅，沒有任何救援抵達。
With no lawyer, Sirin was at the mercy of officials who did not explain rules.
Sirin 沒有律師，只能任由不說明規則的人員處置。
- defenceless
focused on inability to fight back; often physical
- vulnerable
broader — can be emotional or physical; does not imply complete loss of control
- in control
having the power to decide what happens
- protected
sheltered from harm by someone or something else
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed prepositional phrase 'at the mercy of' or its variant 'left to the mercy of.' The subject is someone or something that cannot resist or escape.
常見錯誤
3. a welcome occurrence that stops a bad situation or gives you a short rest from i
解脫；慶幸
令人慶幸的解脫或轉機
a welcome occurrence that stops a bad situation or gives you a short rest from it, so that you feel grateful
After three hours of meetings, the ten-minute coffee break was a welcome mercy.
連續開了三個小時的會之後，十分鐘的咖啡時間真是個解脫。
a mercy — a welcome relief from a difficult situation
When Eli's toothache finally stopped, that moment of quiet was a pure mercy.
Eli 的牙痛終於停了，那一刻的安靜真是令人慶幸。
The sudden rain was a mercy because it ended the terrible heat of the afternoon.
那場突然的雨真是解脫，因為它終結了下午的酷熱。
Madison considered the rejection a mercy since she had not wanted to move anyway.
Madison 認為沒被錄取反而是種解脫，因為她本來就不想搬家。
- misfortune
an unlucky event that causes hardship
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is countable ('a mercy') and does not involve a person choosing forgiveness. The 'mercy' here is the situation itself, not an act of kindness by someone with authority.