shallow
/ˈʃæləʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈʃæləʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsha-(ˌ)lō/ (ame, mw) · /ˈʃæl.əʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈʃæl.oʊ/ (ame, ipa)
shallow — 形容詞
1. not reaching far down; having the bottom situated close to the opening or surfac
淺的
表面到底部距離小的
not reaching far down; having the bottom situated close to the opening or surface — used of water, containers, holes, and similar things.
The children splashed happily in the shallow end of the pool.
孩子們在游泳池的淺水區開心潑水玩耍。
collocation: shallow end of [pool/lake]
Arjun dug a shallow hole just deep enough to plant the small rose bush.
Arjun 挖了一個淺坑，剛好足夠種下那株小玫瑰。
Because the river was so shallow, we could see every pebble on the bottom.
河水太淺了，我們能清楚看到河底的每一顆鵝卵石。
A shallow cut on her hand healed quickly and left no scar.
她手上的一道淺傷口很快就癒合了，完全沒留疤痕。
2. containing only a small number of people or things, so that a lot of space remai
稀疏的
人數或數量稀少的
containing only a small number of people or things, so that a lot of space remains between them.
The theatre had only a shallow audience on the rainy Tuesday night.
那個下雨的星期二晚上，戲院的觀眾寥寥可數。
Attendance at the lecture was shallow, with barely twenty students in the hall.
那場講座的出席人數很少，大廳裡只有不到二十名學生。
Feng noticed the restaurant was unusually shallow for a Friday evening.
Feng 注意到那家餐廳在星期五晚上異常冷清。
The job fair had a shallow turnout, so recruiters packed up early.
就業博覽會出席人數稀稀落落，招募人員因此提早收攤。
用法筆記
This sense is less common in modern English and is mainly used to describe crowds, audiences, or attendance. It often carries a slightly negative tone, suggesting that attendance is disappointingly low.
3. lacking depth, detail, or strong evidence; not likely to convince someone becaus
膚淺的
分析或論證缺乏深度的
lacking depth, detail, or strong evidence; not likely to convince someone because it ignores the real complexity of a topic.
The lawyer dismissed the witness's account as shallow and full of gaps.
律師認為證人的說詞很膚淺，漏洞百出，因此予以駁斥。
Élise found the article's analysis of the economic crisis far too shallow to be useful.
Élise 發現那篇關於經濟危機的分析文章太過膚淺，沒有什麼參考價值。
collocation: shallow analysis
A shallow argument that ignores historical context will never hold up in a debate.
忽視歷史背景的膚淺論點在辯論中根本站不住腳。
The CEO's explanation for why the project failed felt shallow — he blamed everything on bad luck.
執行長對專案失敗的解釋顯得十分膚淺——他把一切都歸咎於運氣不好。
- superficial
stronger negative tone; suggests something deliberately ignores important details
- cursory
describes something done quickly and without attention to detail
- simplistic
suggests the analysis is oversimplified to the point of being wrong
- thorough
covers all important aspects with care
- penetrating
goes deep into the subject to reveal hidden truths
用法筆記
Often used to criticise arguments, explanations, research, or reports. Distinguish from sense 6 (NOT THOUGHTFUL): sense 3 targets the quality of reasoning or evidence in a piece of work, while sense 6 targets a person's character or interests.
常見錯誤
4. describing breathing where each breath brings very little air into the lungs, of
淺短的
呼吸短而淺的
describing breathing where each breath brings very little air into the lungs, often happening during illness, fear, or stress.
The doctor noticed the patient's shallow breathing and immediately checked her oxygen levels.
醫生注意到病人呼吸淺短，立刻檢查了她的血氧濃度。
medical context: shallow breathing as a symptom
Noor took slow deep breaths to calm herself, pushing away the shallow gasps of panic.
Noor 慢慢地深呼吸讓自己冷靜下來，不再急促淺短的喘息。
During the asthma attack, Ziad's breaths became rapid and shallow, frightening his family.
氣喘發作時，Ziad 的呼吸變得又快又淺，嚇壞了家人。
Practising deep breathing exercises can help replace shallow chest breathing with fuller breaths.
練習深呼吸可以幫助取代淺短的胸式呼吸，讓吸氣更飽滿。
- deep
the standard opposite for breathing depth
文法句型
shallow + noun (breathing, breath)
用法筆記
Frequently used in medical and health contexts. The opposite is 'deep breathing'. Shallow breathing is also called 'chest breathing' because it uses the chest muscles rather than the diaphragm.
常見錯誤
5. rising or falling at a gentle angle rather than a steep one; not steep.
平緩的
坡度平緩不陡的
rising or falling at a gentle angle rather than a steep one; not steep.
The hiking trail followed a shallow slope up the hillside, making the climb easy for beginners.
那條登山步道沿著平緩的山坡而上，對初學者來說並不費力。
Amihan chose the path with the shallowest incline to avoid straining her injured knee.
Amihan 選擇了坡度最平緩的路線，以免膝蓋舊傷負擔過重。
superlative: shallowest incline/slope
A shallow roof angle is common in modern buildings in dry climates.
在乾燥氣候地區，現代建築的屋頂坡度通常較平緩。
The driveway had a shallow ramp so that wheelchairs could roll up without difficulty.
車道設有平緩的斜坡，讓輪椅可以輕鬆上下。
- steep
the direct opposite for slopes, angles, and gradients
用法筆記
Used for physical slopes, inclines, angles, and gradients. In architecture it also describes roof pitches or stair angles. Distinguish from sense 1 (SHORT DEPTH): sense 5 describes angle or gradient, not vertical depth from a surface.
6. not interested in serious ideas, deep emotions, or meaningful relationships; con
淺薄的
不關心深度思考或情感的
not interested in serious ideas, deep emotions, or meaningful relationships; concerned only with surface-level appearances or trivial matters.
Dahlia broke up with him because she found him shallow — he only talked about money and cars.
Dahlia 跟他分手了，因為她覺得他很淺薄——他只會聊金錢和車子。
used for describing a person's character
The magazine's shallow coverage of world events never included any real analysis or background.
那本雜誌對國際事件的報導十分淺薄，從來不做深入分析或背景介紹。
Brandon worried that his friends would think he was shallow for caring so much about his appearance.
Brandon 擔心朋友們會因為他太在意外表而覺得他很淺薄。
A shallow person judges others by their looks rather than by their character or abilities.
淺薄的人以外表評斷他人，而不是看對方的品格或能力。
- superficial
often interchangeable, but 'superficial' can also describe physical surfaces; 'shallow' is more directly negative about character
- vapid
stronger, more formal; suggests dull emptiness rather than just lack of depth
- empty-headed
informal; suggests lack of intelligence rather than lack of seriousness
- profound
describes deep, serious thinking and feeling
- deep
the general opposite across multiple senses of 'shallow'
- thoughtful
describes a person who cares about others and thinks seriously about things
用法筆記
This is the most common figurative sense of 'shallow'. It can describe people, conversations, interests, books, films, and media. Frequently appears in social criticism.
常見錯誤
❌ 'He is a shallow person' (vague complaint without context). The phrase is natural, but you should be ready to explain what the person does that is shallow — e.g., 'He only cares about designer clothes and celebrity gossip.'
shallow — 名詞
1. an area in a river, lake, or sea where the water is not deep — often used in the
淺灘
水域中水淺的地方
an area in a river, lake, or sea where the water is not deep — often used in the plural form 'shallows' to mean such areas collectively.
Small fish gather in the warm shallows near the shore during summer.
夏天時，小魚群聚集在岸邊溫暖的淺灘。
plural form: the shallows
Kemi waded carefully through the shallows, keeping an eye out for sharp rocks.
Kemi 小心翼翼地涉水走過淺灘，留意著水中的尖銳石頭。
The boat ran aground in the shallows and had to be pushed back into deeper water.
船在淺灘擱淺了，大家只好合力把它推回較深的水域。
Herons stand motionless in the shallows, waiting to catch small fish with their long beaks.
蒼鷺在淺灘上靜止不動，等待用長喙捕捉小魚。
- depths
the deep parts of a body of water
- deep water
the direct opposite in everyday language
文法句型
the shallows
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form 'shallows' when referring to a general area. The singular 'shallow' is rare and usually appears in set phrases like 'a shallow' (an individual shallow spot).
常見錯誤
shallow — 動詞
1. to make a body of water, channel, or hole become less deep, typically by filling
使變淺
填塞水道使其變淺
to make a body of water, channel, or hole become less deep, typically by filling it with sand, mud, or other material.
The river was shallowed by years of silt washing down from the hills.
那條河流經年累月被山上沖下來的泥沙淤積，變得越來越淺。
passive: shallowed by [natural process]
Construction crews shallowed the channel to create safer swimming areas near the beach.
施工團隊將水道填淺，在海灘附近打造更安全的游泳區域。
Dredging had shallowed parts of the harbour, so larger ships could no longer enter.
疏浚工程使港口的某些區域變淺，大型船隻再也無法進港。
The drought shallowed the creek until it was barely a few centimetres deep.
乾旱使得那條小溪變淺，水深只剩下幾公分。
- deepen
the direct opposite verb
文法句型
shallow + noun phrase
用法筆記
A relatively rare transitive verb, used mostly in technical or geographical writing. In everyday English, people are more likely to say 'make something shallower' than use 'shallow' as a verb.
2. to become less deep, usually as a natural process such as the build-up of sand o
變淺
因自然原因而逐漸變淺
to become less deep, usually as a natural process such as the build-up of sand or mud.
The river shallows considerably during the dry summer months when rainfall is low.
這條河在降雨稀少的乾燥夏季會明顯變淺。
As they walked further from the shore, the lake shallowed again near the sandbank.
他們往遠離岸邊的方向走了一陣子，靠近沙洲時湖水又變淺了。
Over decades the harbour shallowed, forcing fishermen to use smaller boats.
數十年下來港口越來越淺，漁民只好改用較小的船隻。
Near the delta the river shallows abruptly, creating sandbanks that boats must avoid.
靠近三角洲的地方河水突然變淺，形成船隻必須避開的沙洲。
- become shallower
the more common way to express this meaning in everyday English
- silt up
specifically refers to shallowing caused by silt
- deepen
the direct opposite when used intransitively
文法句型
[water body] shallows
用法筆記
Like the transitive counterpart, this intransitive use is rare in everyday speech. Both verb senses are common in geographical and environmental writing but unusual in casual conversation.