mire
/ˈmaɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmaɪər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmī(-ə)r/ (ame, mw)
mire — 名詞
- miresingular
- miresplural
1. an unpleasant or complicated situation that is very hard to get out of
困境
難以脫身的艱難處境
an unpleasant or complicated situation that is very hard to get out of
James found himself in a mire of unpaid bills and mounting debts.
James 發現自己陷入未付帳單與不斷增加的債務困境中。
pattern: a mire of [problems]
The company was pulled into a legal mire that took years to resolve.
那家公司捲入了一場耗時數年才解決的法律困境。
Sumin tried to help her brother escape the mire of his failing business.
Sumin 試圖幫助她哥哥脫離他那家經營不善的企業困境。
The town found itself in a financial mire after the factory closed down.
工廠關閉後，這個小鎮陷入了財務困境。
Ava tried to pull the charity from the mire of bad management and low donations.
Ava 試圖將這家慈善機構從管理不善及捐款低落的困境中拉出來。
- quagmire
more dramatic than mire; suggests an even worse, more tangled situation
- predicament
a difficult situation, often one you did not expect; less severe than mire
- morass
a confusing, messy situation; formal and literary
- solution
a way to fix the problem; the opposite of being trapped in a mire
文法句型
mire + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Typically used in the pattern 'a mire of [something]', where the something is a collection of negative factors. Often preceded by an adjective: 'legal mire', 'financial mire', 'political mire'.
常見錯誤
2. soft, wet ground that is deep and muddy, so that your feet or the wheels of a ve
泥沼
又深又濕的軟泥地面
soft, wet ground that is deep and muddy, so that your feet or the wheels of a vehicle sink into it
After the heavy rain, the path through the forest turned into a dangerous mire.
大雨過後，通往森林的小路變成了一片危險的泥沼。
countable: a mire = a muddy area
Shanti's boots were caked with mud after she slipped into a mire near the river.
Shanti 在河邊滑進一處泥沼後，靴子上沾滿了泥巴。
The farmer lost a sheep in a deep mire behind the old stone barn.
那位農夫在舊石穀倉後方的深泥沼裡損失了一頭羊。
Caleb warned hikers to stay on the trail and avoid the mire beyond the fence.
Caleb 警告登山者待在步道上，避開圍籬外的泥沼。
The wheels of the tractor sank axle-deep into a hidden mire in the lower field.
曳引機的輪子在下方田地的一處隱藏泥沼中深陷至軸心。
用法筆記
Often used with prepositions like 'in' or 'into' to describe location. Countable when referring to a specific patch of such ground.
常見錯誤
mire — 動詞
- mirepresent simple I / you / we / they
- mires3rd person singular
- miring-ing form
- miredpast simple
1. to trap someone or something in a difficult situation that prevents progress or
阻滯
使陷入困境而無法進展
to trap someone or something in a difficult situation that prevents progress or forward movement
The new road project became mired in disagreements among local officials.
那條新道路的建設案因地方官員間的分歧而受阻滯。
passive: become mired in [disagreements/complications]
Shanti felt mired by the endless paperwork and slow approval process.
Shanti 覺得自己被沒完沒了的文書工作和緩慢的審批流程所阻滯。
The small business was mired in debt after only two years of operation.
那家小企業在營運僅僅兩年後便負債累累，遭到阻滯。
Political disputes mired the new law in committee hearings for months.
政治爭議將那項新法案阻滯在委員會聽證會中好幾個月。
Ziad's research project got mired in budget cuts and staff shortages.
Ziad 的研究計畫因預算削減和人員短缺而受到阻滯。
文法句型
be mired in something
mire someone/something in something
用法筆記
The figurative use is more common than the literal verb senses. The object is almost always an abstract noun: debt, controversy, disputes, bureaucracy, complications.
常見錯誤
2. to cause a person, vehicle, or animal to become stuck in soft, wet ground so tha
困陷
使陷入泥濘中無法動彈
to cause a person, vehicle, or animal to become stuck in soft, wet ground so that movement is impossible
The delivery truck was mired in the muddy field behind the farm.
那輛送貨卡車困陷在農場後方的泥濘田地裡。
passive: be mired in [ground]
Heavy snow mired the supply vehicles on the mountain road overnight.
大雪將山路上的補給車輛困陷了一整夜。
The wagon's wheels were mired in the soft earth near the river crossing by the heavy load.
馬車的輪子因沉重的貨物而困陷在渡河點附近的鬆軟泥土裡。
Erik's car got mired in the wet clay behind the abandoned house.
Erik 的車子困陷在廢棄房屋後方的濕黏土裡。
- free
to release from being stuck
文法句型
mire something in something
be mired in something
用法筆記
Very frequently used in the passive voice (be mired / get mired). The active transitive form is rare in modern English.
3. to make something dirty by covering it with wet mud or sticky earth
沾泥
被濕泥巴覆蓋或弄髒
to make something dirty by covering it with wet mud or sticky earth
Tariro's white trousers were mired after she crossed the construction site.
Tariro 的白長褲穿越建築工地後沾滿了泥巴。
passive: be mired = become dirty with mud
The children mired their shoes in the garden while chasing the neighbour's cat.
孩子們在花園裡追鄰居的貓時，鞋子都沾上了泥巴。
Sivan's jacket got mired when she slipped off her bicycle near the pond.
Sivan 在池塘附近從腳踏車上摔下來時，外套沾滿了泥巴。
The dog ran through the wet garden and mired its paws in the flower bed.
那隻狗跑過潮濕的花園，爪子在花圃裡沾滿了泥巴。
- clean
to remove dirt from
文法句型
mire something/someone
be mired with something
用法筆記
This literal sense is very rare in modern English; 'cover with mud', 'get muddy', or 'soil' are much more common alternatives.
4. to sink down into soft, wet ground so that you are trapped and cannot get out on
下陷
陷入軟泥中無法前進
to sink down into soft, wet ground so that you are trapped and cannot get out on your own
The horse mired in the swamp and needed help from the rescue team.
那匹馬陷入了沼澤，需要救援隊的協助才能脫身。
intransitive use: [subject] mired in [ground]
As the tide went out, the boat mired in the soft mud of the riverbed.
退潮時，那艘船陷入了河床的軟泥中。
A young deer had mired in the bog and could not escape on its own.
一頭小鹿在沼澤地中下陷了一整夜，無法自行逃脫。
Gabriela's back wheel mired in the rain-soaked grass near the parking lot.
Gabriela 的後輪在停車場附近被雨水浸濕的草地上下陷了。
- float
to stay on the surface; opposite of sinking
文法句型
mire in something
用法筆記
Distinguish from verb sense 2 (GET STUCK IN MUD): sense 2 is transitive (something causes a person or vehicle to get stuck), while sense 4 is intransitive (the subject sinks or gets stuck by itself). Sense 4 is extremely rare; 'sink', 'get stuck', or 'bog down' are far more common.