stain
stain — 名詞
- stainsingular
- stainsplural
1. a dirty or coloured area on a surface that is hard to clean off, often caused by
汙漬；污點
物體表面難以去除的髒污痕跡
a dirty or coloured area on a surface that is hard to clean off, often caused by food, drink, mud, or ink
Red wine left a dark stain on the white tablecloth.
紅酒在白桌巾上留下了一片深色汙漬。
collocation: left a stain on
Yuki tried scrubbing the old coffee stain out of her silk blouse.
Yuki 試著把絲質上衣上的舊咖啡漬刷掉。
collocation: scrub a stain out of
The carpet in the living room had dark stains from years of muddy shoes.
客廳的地毯因為多年的泥鞋印而留下了深色汙漬。
Gabriel used a special cleaner to remove the stubborn grass stain from his jeans.
Gabriel 用一種特殊清潔劑去除了牛仔褲上頑固的草漬。
Aylin noticed a yellow stain spreading across the kitchen ceiling after the rain.
Aylin 注意到雨水過後廚房天花板上出現了一片黃色水漬。
文法句型
leave a stain on + object
remove a stain from + object
用法筆記
A stain is more permanent than ordinary dirt — simply wiping or shaking will not remove it; cleaning with soap, detergent, or special chemicals is usually needed.
常見錯誤
2. a liquid chemical substance used to change the colour of wood, fabric, or other
染色劑；染料
用來改變木材、織物等顏色的化學液體
a liquid chemical substance used to change the colour of wood, fabric, or other materials, or to make tiny structures visible under a microscope
Quinn applied a dark walnut stain to the wooden bookshelf last weekend.
Quinn 上週末給木書架上了深胡桃木色染色劑。
pattern: apply + stain + to + object
The lab technician used a fluorescent stain to examine the tissue sample.
實驗室技術員用螢光染色劑來檢查組織樣本。
domain: scientific laboratory use
Sahil bought a can of wood stain for his garden fence project.
Sahil 為花園籬笆工程買了一罐木器染色劑。
Élise mixed two different stains to create a custom colour for her cabinet.
Élise 混合了兩種不同的染色劑，為她的櫥櫃調出專屬顏色。
文法句型
apply + stain + to + object
wood + stain
用法筆記
In woodworking, stains are distinct from paints — they soak into the wood fibres rather than forming a layer on top.
常見錯誤
3. the lasting harm done to how people think of a person or group, caused by someth
汙點；瑕疵
對名譽或品格造成的永久損害
the lasting harm done to how people think of a person or group, caused by something shameful or wrong
The scandal left a permanent stain on the senator's long political career.
那起醜聞在參議員長期的政治生涯中留下了永久的汙點。
collocation: a stain on + career / reputation
Being caught cheating left a stain on his reputation that never faded.
作弊被抓讓他的名聲留下了永不褪去的汙點。
The company's environmental violations were a stain on its public image.
該公司的環保違規行為成了其公眾形象上的一個汙點。
Quan worried that the mistake would leave a stain on his family's good name.
Quan 擔心那個錯誤會給家族的良好聲譽留下汙點。
文法句型
a stain on + reputation / character / name
用法筆記
This metaphorical sense is more formal and often appears in news reports or serious discussions about ethics. The collocation 'a stain on someone's character/reputation' is very common.
常見錯誤
stain — 動詞
- stainpresent simple I / you / we / they
- stainshe / she / it
- stainedpast simple
- staining-ing form
1. to accidentally create a coloured spot on a surface that is very difficult to cl
弄髒；染汙
在表面留下難以去除的髒汙痕跡
to accidentally create a coloured spot on a surface that is very difficult to clean away — for example, spilling coffee on a carpet or getting grease on a shirt
Red wine will stain the carpet if you do not clean it right away.
紅酒會弄髒地毯，如果你沒有立刻清理的話。
conditional: if-clause warning
The mechanic's oily hands stained the kitchen towel beyond repair.
技師油膩的雙手把廚房毛巾弄髒到無法再洗乾淨。
Be careful with that ink — it will stain your new shirt permanently.
小心那瓶墨水——它會把你的新襯衫永久染色。
Joon accidentally stained his mother's white sofa with grape juice.
Joon 不小心把葡萄汁弄髒了媽媽的白色沙發。
The curry sauce stained the baby's bib a bright yellow colour.
咖哩醬把嬰兒的圍兜染成了亮黃色。
文法句型
stain + object (the surface)
stain + object + with + substance
用法筆記
This is the most common verb sense. The resultative pattern (stain + object + colour, e.g. 'stained the cloth red') is used when describing the colour that results.
常見錯誤
2. when a substance or piece of cloth takes in liquids easily and therefore gets co
易沾汙漬
材質容易吸收液體而留下汙痕
when a substance or piece of cloth takes in liquids easily and therefore gets coloured marks that are hard to wash out
White cotton stains easily, so be careful when you drink red juice.
白棉布很容易沾上汙漬，所以喝紅色果汁時要小心。
pattern: stains easily + advice clause
This silk fabric stains badly if you do not treat spills right away.
這種絲質布料如果沒有立刻處理潑灑的液體，就會留下很深的汙漬。
The light-coloured sofa stains quickly because the material is so soft.
淺色沙發很容易弄髒，因為布料材質非常柔軟。
Some wooden floors stain easily when water is left on them overnight.
有些木頭地板如果水留在上面過夜，很快就會留下漬痕。
- repel
keeps liquid out; does not absorb
文法句型
stain (adverb) — no object
用法筆記
This is the only intransitive sense of 'stain'. It describes a property of the material, not an action. Look for adverbs like 'easily', 'badly', or 'quickly' to identify this sense.
常見錯誤
3. to give a particular colour to a surface, such as wood or cloth, by treating it
染色；著色
用化學液體刻意改變木材或樣本的顏色
to give a particular colour to a surface, such as wood or cloth, by treating it with a dye or chemical solution on purpose
The carpenter stained the oak table a deep mahogany colour last week.
木匠上週把橡木餐桌染成了深桃花心木色。
pattern: stain + object + colour (no 'with')
Yuki stained the wooden fence a warm shade of brown before winter.
Yuki 在冬天來臨前把木籬笆染成了溫暖的棕色。
The biologist stained the tissue sample to see the bacteria clearly.
生物學家對組織樣本進行染色，以便清楚地觀察細菌。
Caio stained the pine shelves with a clear varnish to protect the wood.
Caio 用透明亮光漆為松木層架染色，以保護木材。
文法句型
stain + object + colour
stain + object + with + substance
用法筆記
Unlike the first verb sense (which describes accidental marking), this sense describes a deliberate, controlled process. In woodworking, staining is done to enhance the wood's natural grain.
常見錯誤
4. to damage or spoil someone's reputation permanently, so that people think less o
玷汙；損害
對名譽或品格造成永久損害
to damage or spoil someone's reputation permanently, so that people think less of them — for example, a scandal that stains a politician's career
The false accusation stained her reputation for years after the trial.
那項虛假的指控在審判結束後多年仍玷污了她的名聲。
pattern: accusation + stained + reputation
The corruption scandal stained the image of the entire government.
貪腐醜聞玷污了整個政府的形象。
Quinn felt that one bad decision had stained his family's honour forever.
Quinn 覺得一個錯誤的決定永遠玷污了家族的榮譽。
The politician's career was stained by the bribery investigation last year.
這位政治人物的事業因去年的賄賂調查而蒙上陰影。
文法句型
stain + reputation / name / character / honour
用法筆記
This is the metaphorical extension of sense v1. It is commonly used in formal or journalistic writing and is frequently passive.