periphrasis
periphrasis — 名詞
1. a style of expression in which a person chooses longer or more elaborate phrasin
迂迴說法
用間接冗長的方式表達
a style of expression in which a person chooses longer or more elaborate phrasing where a short, direct alternative would also work — for example, saying "I am firmly of the opinion that" rather than simply "I think that".
Theo tends to use periphrasis when he wants to sound more diplomatic during tense meetings.
Theo 在緊張的會議中想讓自己聽起來更圓滑時，往往會使用迂迴說法。
collocation: use periphrasis
The politician's speech was full of periphrasis, which annoyed the journalists who wanted clear answers.
那位政治人物的演說充滿迂迴說法，讓想要清楚答案的記者們很惱火。
Clara realised her professor disliked periphrasis and preferred simple, direct language in essays.
Clara 發現她的教授不喜歡迂迴說法，在論文中偏好簡單直接的文字。
In legal writing, periphrasis is sometimes used to describe a sensitive fact without stating it bluntly.
在法律文書中，有時會用迂迴說法來描述敏感的事實，而不直接說出來。
Mei replaced every instance of periphrasis in her report with shorter phrases to meet the word limit.
Mei 將報告中所有迂迴說法都改成較短的詞句，以達到字數限制。
- circumlocution
more common and slightly less formal; the most direct synonym for sense 1
- indirectness
broader in meaning; can also refer to behaviour, not just speech or writing
- euphemism
specific type of periphrasis that replaces a harsh word with a milder one
- directness
the quality of saying something plainly without extra words
文法句型
periphrasis + singular verb
用法筆記
Uncountable in this sense — do not say 'a periphrasis' to mean an instance of indirect wording. The word is most common in formal or academic contexts such as literary criticism, rhetoric, and political commentary.
常見錯誤
2. a grammatical pattern where separate words — such as auxiliary verbs or preposit
迂說法
以獨立詞代替詞尾變化
a grammatical pattern where separate words — such as auxiliary verbs or prepositions — carry a grammatical meaning that could instead be shown by changing a single word's ending; for example, using "more slowly" instead of "slowlier", or "of the teacher" instead of "teacher's".
In linguistics class, Arjun studied how periphrasis gradually replaced the old case endings of Old English.
Arjun 在語言學課上研究迂說法如何逐漸取代古英文的名詞格尾變化。
collocation: periphrasis replaced [inflections]
Nadia wrote an essay on periphrasis, using "the house of my aunt" as an example of the pattern.
Nadia 寫了一篇關於迂說法的論文，以「the house of my aunt」作為該句型的例子。
The phrase "will go" is an example of verbal periphrasis because the future meaning is carried by a separate word.
「will go」這個片語就是動詞迂說法的一個例子，因為未來的意思是由一個獨立詞來承載的。
Yuki's grammar textbook explains that periphrasis is more common in modern English than in Latin.
Yuki 的文法課本解釋說，迂說法在現代英語中比在拉丁語中更常見。
The comparative form "more friendly" uses periphrasis, while "friendlier" uses a suffix instead.
比較級「more friendly」使用了迂說法，而「friendlier」則是用後綴來表達。
- analytic construction
the equivalent descriptive term in linguistics; more technical
- grammatical circumlocution
much less common; sometimes used in historical linguistics
- inflection
the use of word endings to express grammatical relationships instead of separate words
文法句型
periphrasis + singular verb
用法筆記
A technical term in linguistics and grammar. Frequently contrasted with inflection (or synthetic form): a single inflected word versus a multi-word analytical structure. Common in discussions of language change over time.