stems
stems — 名詞
1. the long thin central piece of an object that holds wider parts at each end, or
細長支撐部
物體中央細長的支持部分
the long thin central piece of an object that holds wider parts at each end, or from which smaller parts grow outward; for example, the stem of a wine glass connects the bowl to the base.
Mei carefully held the champagne glass by its fragile stem.
Mei 小心翼翼地拿著香檳杯的細長杯腳。
collocation: stem of a glass
The stem of the old tobacco pipe was cracked from years of use.
那根舊菸斗的菸嘴桿因多年使用而裂開了。
Each candle holder had a twisted metal stem painted gold.
每個燭台都有鍍金的扭絞金屬桿。
A microphone stood on a heavy metal base with a long adjustable stem.
一支麥克風立於沉重的金屬底座上，帶有可調節的長桿。
The glass dome rests on a short brass stem attached to a wooden platform.
玻璃罩架在一個短黃銅桿上，下方連接著木質平台。
用法筆記
Common in descriptions of glassware, lamps, pipes, and other objects with a narrow vertical section between wider parts.
2. the tall slender part of a plant that rises out of the soil, supporting the leav
莖；梗
植物地上生長的主幹部分
the tall slender part of a plant that rises out of the soil, supporting the leaves, blossoms, and fruit; any offshoot that attaches a leaf or fruit to the central stalk.
The rose stems were covered in sharp thorns that pricked her fingers.
玫瑰花的莖上佈滿了尖刺，刺傷了她的手指。
collocation: rose stem / plant stem
Siti cut the thick stems of the sunflowers and arranged them in a tall vase.
Siti 剪下向日葵粗壯的莖，把它們插在高花瓶裡。
After the storm, the garden was full of broken stems and scattered leaves.
暴風雨過後，花園裡到處都是折斷的莖和散落的葉子。
The children peeled the tough outer layer off the celery stems before eating them.
孩子們在吃芹菜梗之前，先把外面粗糙的纖維剝掉。
Bamboo stems grow extremely fast and can reach several metres in a single season.
竹子的莖生長極快，一個季節就能長到好幾公尺高。
- root
the part of a plant that grows downward into the soil
用法筆記
The most concrete and common sense of 'stem'. Often used with a pre-modifier such as 'flower stem', 'rose stem', 'broccoli stem'.
常見錯誤
3. the basic part of a word to which prefixes and suffixes are added to change its
詞幹
添加詞綴變化前的基礎詞形
the basic part of a word to which prefixes and suffixes are added to change its form or meaning; for example, 'walk' is the stem of 'walking', 'walks', and 'walked'.
The stem of the word 'unhappiness' is 'happy' after removing 'un-' and '-ness'.
「unhappiness」一詞去掉「un-」和「-ness」之後，詞幹是「happy」。
example: removing affixes to find the stem
Students in the linguistics class learned how to identify verb stems in ancient Greek texts.
語言學課的學生們學習如何辨識古希臘文本中的動詞詞幹。
When you add '-ed' to a verb stem, you usually form the past tense.
在動詞詞幹後面加上「-ed」，通常就形成了過去式。
The dictionary lists the stem of each word so readers can see its core meaning.
這本詞典列出了每個詞的詞幹，方便讀者了解其核心意義。
Omar noticed that the stem 'struct' appears in 'construction', 'destroy', and 'instruct'.
Omar 注意到「struct」這個詞幹出現在「construction」、「destroy」和「instruct」中。
- affix
a prefix, suffix, or infix added to a stem to create a new word form
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'root': a root cannot be broken down further, while a stem may contain a root plus additional elements. In practice, the two terms overlap in many textbooks.
常見錯誤
4. a short projecting knob located on the edge of a watch; pulling or rotating it l
錶冠；旋鈕
手錶側面調整時間的小旋鈕
a short projecting knob located on the edge of a watch; pulling or rotating it lets you adjust the time, wind the mechanism, or change the date display.
Ben gently pulled out the watch stem and turned it to set the alarm.
Ben 輕輕拉出錶冠，轉動它來設定鬧鐘。
action: pull out and turn the stem
The repair shop replaced the broken stem on grandpa's old pocket watch.
鐘錶修理店更換了爺爺舊懷錶上損壞的錶冠。
Priya pushed the stem back in after adjusting the hands to the correct time.
Priya 把錶冠推回去，然後將指針調到正確的時間。
If the stem feels loose, the watch may need a simple mechanical fix.
如果錶冠感覺鬆動，這隻手錶可能需要簡單的機械維修。
- crown
the technical term used by watchmakers; 'crown' is more professional, 'stem' is more general
用法筆記
Quite specific to watches and clocks. Most learners encounter this sense only when reading about watch repair or wearing a mechanical watch.
5. the main vertical structure at the very front of a ship or boat that supports th
船首；艏柱
船隻前端垂直的主結構
the main vertical structure at the very front of a ship or boat that supports the hull and cuts through the water; the forward end of a vessel.
The ship's stem was reinforced with thick steel plates for the icy Arctic voyage.
船首用厚鋼板加固，以應付冰冷的北極航行。
domain: nautical — ship's stem
From the stem to the stern, the fishing boat measured exactly fifteen metres.
從船首到船尾，這艘漁船正好長十五公尺。
The old wooden stem of the schooner had rotted after decades in salt water.
這艘雙桅帆船的舊木質艏柱在海水浸泡數十年後已經腐爛。
Paint peeled off the metal stem near the waterline where the waves hit hardest.
船首水線附近的金屬油漆脫落了，因為那裡受到的海浪衝擊最猛烈。
- stern
the back end of a ship
用法筆記
Nautical term. Learners may encounter it in literature about ships or in the phrase 'from stem to stern' (meaning 'from one end to the other').
6. the foundational source or primary section of a larger structure from which addi
主幹；根源
事物發展衍生的核心源頭
the foundational source or primary section of a larger structure from which additional elements diverge; for example, the key subject of a debate, or the earliest line of descent in a genealogy.
The stem of the argument was whether to build a new school or repair the old one.
這場爭論的核心在於要新建一所學校還是修繕舊校。
metaphorical: stem of an argument / discussion
All the smaller villages share a common stem in their history and cultural traditions.
所有較小的村莊在歷史和文化傳統上都共享一個共同的根源。
The family tree shows one main stem going back to the eighteenth century.
家族譜系圖顯示一條可追溯到十八世紀的主幹。
Each department branches off from the central stem of the organisation.
每個部門都從組織的核心主幹分支出來。
The stem of the problem lies in poor communication between the two teams.
問題的根源在於兩個團隊之間溝通不良。
用法筆記
Used metaphorically in formal or semi-formal contexts. Common in the phrase 'the stem of the [problem / argument / issue]'.
stems — 動詞
1. to stop or slow down the progress of something that is spreading, growing, or be
遏止；阻擋
阻止不良事物的蔓延或惡化
to stop or slow down the progress of something that is spreading, growing, or becoming worse; for example, stemming the tide of public anger, or stemming the spread of a disease.
The government introduced new laws to stem the rise in unemployment among young people.
政府制定新法律以遏止年輕人失業率上升。
collocation: stem the rise / increase of something
Dr. Amara worked day and night to stem the spread of the virus in the city.
Amara 醫生日以繼夜地工作，阻止病毒在城市中擴散。
The central bank raised interest rates to stem the rapid fall of the national currency.
中央銀行調升利率以遏止本國貨幣急速貶值。
Teachers held a meeting to discuss ways to stem the loss of students from the school.
老師們開會討論如何遏止學生流失的情況。
Efforts to stem the flow of illegal waste into the river have had little effect so far.
阻止非法廢棄物流入河流的努力至今成效甚微。
- accelerate
to make something happen faster or increase more quickly
- encourage
to promote or support the growth or development of something
文法句型
stem + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with abstract nouns like 'tide', 'flow', 'spread', 'rise', 'decline'. Frequently appears in news and formal writing.
常見錯誤
2. to stop or block the movement of a liquid, especially blood from a wound or wate
止住；阻流
阻止液體（如血液、水）流動
to stop or block the movement of a liquid, especially blood from a wound or water from a leak; to dam up or hold back a flowing substance.
Nadia pressed a clean cloth firmly on the cut to stem the bleeding.
Nadia 用一塊乾淨的布用力壓住傷口以止血。
common medical usage: stem the bleeding
The plumber used a special sealant to stem the leak in the kitchen pipe.
水電工使用一種特殊的密封劑來止住廚房水管的漏水。
The nurse applied pressure to the wound for ten minutes to stem the blood flow.
護士在傷口上加壓十分鐘以阻止血液流出。
Sandbags were placed along the riverbank to stem the rising floodwater.
河岸上堆放了沙袋以阻擋不斷上漲的洪水。
A temporary dam was built to stem the flow of water away from the construction site.
人們建造了一座臨時水壩以攔截流向工地的水流。
- release
to allow liquid to flow freely
文法句型
stem + noun phrase (liquid or flow)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense specifically involves physical liquids, while sense 1 is abstract (trends, problems). However, 'stem the flow' can be used for both literal and figurative flows.
常見錯誤
3. to pull off or cut away the stalk from a fruit, vegetable, flower, or leaf, usua
去梗；摘蒂
去除水果、蔬菜的莖或蒂
to pull off or cut away the stalk from a fruit, vegetable, flower, or leaf, usually before cooking or eating.
Emma stemmed the strawberries before adding them to the cake batter.
Emma 把草莓的蒂摘掉，然後加入蛋糕麵糊中。
common kitchen task: stem berries / vegetables
The recipe says to stem the spinach and wash the leaves thoroughly.
食譜上說要將菠菜去梗，然後徹底沖洗葉子。
Kwame carefully stemmed each grape before arranging them on the cheese platter.
Kwame 仔細地把每顆葡萄的梗摘掉，然後擺放在起司盤上。
Carlos spent an hour stemming cherries for the jam he planned to make.
Carlos 花了一個小時將櫻桃去梗，準備用來做果醬。
The machine can stem and peel tomatoes much faster than a person can.
這台機器去梗和去皮番茄的速度比人工快得多。
- strip
suggests pulling off leaves or stems by running fingers along the branch; used for herbs like rosemary or thyme
文法句型
stem + noun phrase (fruit, vegetable, plant)
用法筆記
A practical, everyday verb for kitchen work. Usually followed by the name of a fruit or vegetable. The past form 'stemmed' is very common in recipes.
常見錯誤
4. to develop or come from a particular cause, source, or beginning; to have an ori
起源於；來自
由某個原因或來源產生
to develop or come from a particular cause, source, or beginning; to have an origin that can be traced back to something earlier.
Most of their disagreements stem from a simple misunderstanding about the budget.
他們大部分的歧見源自於對預算的簡單誤解。
pattern: stem from [cause/reason]
The team's success stems from years of dedicated training and hard work.
這個團隊的成功源於多年來的專注訓練和努力。
Her love of classical music stems from the piano lessons she took as a child.
她對古典音樂的熱愛源自於小時候上的鋼琴課。
The word 'marmalade' stems from the Portuguese word 'marmelada'.
「marmalade」這個詞源自葡萄牙語的「marmelada」。
Many traditional festivals in the region stem from ancient farming customs.
該地區許多傳統節慶都源自古老的農耕習俗。
- arise from
more formal; often used for problems, questions, or situations that emerge
- originate from
emphasises the point of origin more strongly than 'stem from'
- derive from
common for words, ideas, benefits coming from a source; slightly more formal
- lead to
to have something as a result, reversing the direction of causation
文法句型
stem from + noun phrase
stem from the fact that...
用法筆記
Nearly always used in the phrasal pattern 'stem from'. Rarely used without 'from'. The subject is typically a result, and the object of 'from' is the cause. Frequently passive: 'is stemmed from' is incorrect — this sense is not passive.