played out
played out — 形容詞
1. no longer fresh, interesting, or effective because something has been used, repe
疲乏過時
因重複太久而失效或疲倦
no longer fresh, interesting, or effective because something has been used, repeated, or relied on for too long — for example, a joke that everyone has heard before, an argument that no longer convinces anyone, or a system that has become too old to work well.
After ten years of the same format, the reality show felt completely played out.
同樣的節目模式持續十年後，這個實境秀讓人覺得完全過時了。
typical subject: repeated activity or show
Gita argued that the flexible-hours debate was played out and refused to rehash it.
Gita 認為彈性工時的辯論早已老調重彈，拒絕再討論下去。
The city's bus network looked played out after decades without proper investment.
缺乏適當投資數十年後，這座城市的公車系統看起來破舊不堪。
By the end of the charity walk, even the most energetic volunteers looked played out.
慈善步行活動接近尾聲時，就連最有活力的志工也顯得筋疲力竭。
can describe people: be + played out
Noa dismissed the rumour as a played-out story that had no truth to it.
Noa 認為那個謠言早就傳爛了，根本沒有可信度。
- played-out idea
- played-out argument
- played-out joke
- played-out excuse
- played-out system
- feel played out
- look played out
- seem played out
- exhausted
slightly more formal; can describe both physical energy and resources
- worn-out
more concrete, especially for objects and people; less common for ideas
- stale
specifically for ideas, jokes, or news that has lost freshness through age
- outdated
emphasises being no longer suitable for the present time rather than exhausted
文法句型
be + played out
played-out + noun
用法筆記
Often used for ideas, jokes, arguments, or trends that have lost impact through repetition. When describing a person, it means extremely tired rather than ineffective. Frequently appears in past-participle form as an attributive adjective before a noun (e.g. a played-out excuse).
常見錯誤
played out — 片語動詞
- played outbase form
- playeds out3rd person singular
- playeding out-ing form
- playeded outpast simple
1. to become completely used up or exhausted — especially of a natural resource, ma
耗盡
資源或存量被用光
to become completely used up or exhausted — especially of a natural resource, material supply, or limited asset that has been extracted or consumed over time until nothing usable remains.
The old silver mine played out after nearly a century of steady extraction.
這座老銀礦經過近一個世紀的持續開採後，礦藏終於耗盡了。
intransitive: natural resource + played out
Diego's patience played out long before the meeting entered its third hour.
會議還沒進入第三個小時，Diego 的耐心就已經消磨殆盡了。
The emergency grain supply played out faster than the relief agencies had predicted.
緊急糧食儲備消耗的速度，比救援機構預測的還要快。
Obi watched his savings play out during the long months of unemployment.
Obi 眼睜睜看著自己的積蓄在漫長失業期間一點一滴耗盡。
- mine played out
- oil field played out
- supply played out
- savings played out
- patience played out
- run out
more common; can be used for any limited supply
- dwindle
more formal; describes gradual reduction
- be exhausted
passive form; slightly more formal than 'play out'
- replenish
to fill something up again after it has been used
文法句型
[resource] + play out / played out
用法筆記
Subject is typically a physical resource (mine, well, supply) or an abstract limited quantity (patience, savings). Unlike the adjective 'played out', this verb form describes the process of depletion, not a resulting state. Rarely used in the present continuous (*'is playing out' for depletion—avoid; it creates ambiguity with the unrelated 'play out' meaning 'unfold').
常見錯誤
2. to become completely exhausted of physical or mental energy — especially of a pe
筋疲力竭
體力或精力完全耗盡
to become completely exhausted of physical or mental energy — especially of a person, animal, or labour force that has been working, performing, or enduring something difficult for too long.
The rescue dogs played out after twelve straight hours of searching through rubble.
搜救犬連續十二小時在瓦礫堆中搜索之後，已經筋疲力竭了。
intransitive: animal + played out (exhausted)
Mizuki's voice played out completely during the third hour of the singing competition.
歌唱比賽進行到第三個小時時，Mizuki 的嗓子徹底啞了。
The harvest workers played out well before the last fields were brought in.
最後幾塊田的麥子還沒收完，收割工人就已經累垮了。
Henrik's legs played out just two kilometres from the mountain shelter.
距離山屋只剩兩公里的時候，Henrik 的雙腿卻再也使不上力了。
- workers played out
- dogs played out
- voice played out
- legs played out
- strength played out
文法句型
[person/animal] + play out
用法筆記
Subject is typically a person, group of people, or an animal. Often refers to a specific body part (voice, legs) or the whole person. Distinguish from PV sense 1: sense 1 is about resources becoming used up; sense 2 is specifically about living beings losing energy.