nadir
/ˈneɪdɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [nˈedɚ] /ˈneɪdɪr/ (ame, ipa) · [nˈedɚ] /ˈnā-ˌdir How to pronounce nadir (audio) ˈnā-dər How to pronounce nadir (audio)/ (ame, mw)
nadir — 名詞
1. the point in a difficult period when things seem most hopeless or least successf
谷底
情勢最糟、最沒希望的時刻
the point in a difficult period when things seem most hopeless or least successful.
After three missed rent payments, the family's finances hit their nadir.
連續三次付不出房租後，那個家庭的財務跌到谷底。
hit their nadir for the worst stage
Public trust reached its nadir when the mayor hid the safety report.
市長隱瞞安全報告後，民眾的信任降到谷底。
reach its nadir for collapse in confidence
The team was at its nadir after losing six matches in July.
七月連輸六場後，球隊正處於谷底。
Morale sank to its nadir during the week without heat or water.
那一週沒有暖氣也沒有水，士氣跌到谷底。
For Elena, the divorce hearing marked the nadir of a brutal year.
對 Elena 來說，那場離婚聽證會是那殘酷一年的最低谷。
- low point
broader and much more common in everyday English
- rock bottom
more informal and often more dramatic
- trough
more often used for cycles, figures, or repeated ups and downs
文法句型
at its nadir
reach a nadir
sink to a nadir
用法筆記
Common with situations, confidence, morale, or a career. Distinguish from noun 2, which focuses on a measured level rather than an emotional or historical low point.
常見錯誤
2. the level where a number, rate, or amount has fallen as low as it goes.
最低點
數值或程度降到最底
the level where a number, rate, or amount has fallen as low as it goes.
Oil prices fell to their nadir in April before rising again.
油價在四月跌到最低點，之後才再度回升。
fall to their nadir for lowest recorded level
By dawn, the river level was at its nadir below the old bridge.
到黎明時，河水水位在那座舊橋下方降到最低點。
Sales reached their nadir during the station's month-long closure.
車站關閉整整一個月期間，銷售額降到最低點。
The patient's oxygen level hit a nadir before the new medicine worked.
新藥發揮作用前，病人的血氧值一度跌到最低點。
Website traffic touched its nadir during the overnight server crash.
網站流量在夜間伺服器當機時掉到最低點。
- peak
the highest level in a period
- high point
plain English for the top level or strongest moment
文法句型
at its nadir
hit a nadir
fall to a nadir
用法筆記
Used for figures, measurements, and levels that can rise or fall over time. Distinguish from noun 1, which often describes the worst phase of a broader situation.
常見錯誤
3. the point straight below an observer, or the lowest place a heavenly body reache
天底
觀測者正下方，或天體最低位置
the point straight below an observer, or the lowest place a heavenly body reaches on its path.
On the chart, the nadir lay directly beneath the balloon basket.
在圖表上，天底位於熱氣球吊籃的正下方。
directly beneath the observer or object
The astronomer marked the nadir below the observatory before drawing the horizon.
那位天文學家先在天文台下方標出天底，再畫出地平線。
astronomy diagram: point below the observer
At that point in its path, the satellite was near its nadir.
在那段軌道上，衛星接近自己的天底位置。
The diagram shows the moon at nadir beneath the mountain valley.
那張圖顯示月亮在山谷上空的下方來到天底。
The telescope software tracks when a planet drops to its nadir.
望遠鏡軟體會追蹤行星何時降到天底。
- lowest point
a plain description rather than the technical term
- zenith
the point directly above the observer
文法句型
at nadir
below the nadir
near its nadir
用法筆記
Used in astronomy, navigation, and sky diagrams. Distinguish from noun 2, which is about a low measured level, and from 'zenith', which names the opposite point overhead.