stumbling
stumbling — 形容詞
- stumblingpositive
- more stumblingcomparative
- most stumblingsuperlative
1. describes a way of walking where the steps are not steady or controlled, often b
踉蹌的
腳步不穩、走路搖晃的
describes a way of walking where the steps are not steady or controlled, often because of tiredness, injury, or uneven ground.
The hiker's stumbling walk down the rocky slope worried the guide.
這位登山者踉蹌地走下岩石斜坡，讓導遊很擔心。
Caleb took a few stumbling steps before catching himself on the railing.
Caleb 踉蹌了幾步，然後抓住了欄杆。
"stumbling steps" — describes an unsteady walk
After the long bus ride, Dewi's stumbling walk across the parking lot worried her roommate.
坐了長途巴士後，Dewi 踉踉蹌蹌地走過停車場，讓室友很擔心。
Jabari noticed the old man's stumbling movements and offered an arm for support.
Jabari 注意到那位老先生踉蹌的步伐，便伸手扶了他一把。
The toddler's first stumbling attempts to cross the room made everyone smile.
幼兒第一次踉踉蹌蹌地想走過房間，讓大家都笑了。
2. describes speech, reading, or performance that contains many pauses, repeated wo
結巴的
說話經常停頓或出錯的
describes speech, reading, or performance that contains many pauses, repeated words, or mistakes, usually because of nervousness.
Rania gave a stumbling speech at her sister's wedding and apologized afterward.
Rania 在姐姐的婚禮上結結巴巴地致詞，事後向大家道歉。
Valentina's stumbling reading of the poem showed how nervous she felt on stage.
Valentina 結結巴巴地朗讀詩歌，看得出她在台上很緊張。
"stumbling reading" — describes hesitant, mistake-filled reading aloud
The interviewer noticed his stumbling answers and tried to put him at ease.
面試官注意到他結結巴巴的回答，便試著讓他放鬆。
Joon's stumbling explanation of the project left the clients confused.
Joon 結結巴巴地解釋那個專案，讓客戶一頭霧水。
- fluent
describes smooth, confident speech
用法筆記
Commonly used with nouns like "speech", "reading", "explanation", or "performance" to describe a lack of fluency caused by anxiety.
常見錯誤
3. describes a process, effort, or attempt that keeps running into problems and adv
坎坷的
過程中充滿問題或失誤的
describes a process, effort, or attempt that keeps running into problems and advances only with great difficulty.
The company's stumbling entry into the Asian market cost them millions.
該公司進入亞洲市場的過程困難重重，損失了數百萬美元。
Anong's stumbling efforts to learn the guitar finally paid off after a year.
Anong 學吉他學得跌跌撞撞，一年後終於有了成果。
"stumbling efforts" — describes attempts full of mistakes or setbacks
The peace talks made a stumbling start but gradually found common ground.
和平會談起步艱難，但後來逐漸找到共識。
Hannah's book about fresh starts describes her stumbling career path with its many layoffs and false starts.
Hannah 那本關於重新開始的書，描述了她歷經多次裁員與失敗的坎坷職涯。
- smooth
describes progress without difficulty or interruption
用法筆記
Often used metaphorically to describe a project, career, or relationship that faces repeated obstacles. Not used for physical walking.
stumbling — 名詞
1. a moment when you trip or nearly fall while walking, or when you make an awkward
絆倒；失誤
走路或說話失誤
a moment when you trip or nearly fall while walking, or when you make an awkward mistake while speaking or performing.
Iker's stumbling on the stage caused a brief silence in the audience.
Iker 在舞台上絆了一下，觀眾頓時安靜了下來。
Sana recovered from her stumbling during the speech with quiet confidence.
Sana 在演講中失誤了一下，但隨即沉著地恢復了。
"recover from a stumble" — collocation for bouncing back after a mistake
Stumbling suddenly on the rocky path sent Tamar's water bottle rolling downhill.
在碎石路上突然絆了一下，Tamar 的水壺滾下了山坡。
Henry's stumbling over the unfamiliar word made the rest of the class laugh.
Henry 唸到那個不熟悉的字時結巴了一下，全班都笑了。
stumbling — 動詞
- stumblingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- stumblings3rd person singular
- stumblinging-ing form
- stumblingedpast simple
1. to hit your foot on an object when you walk or run, which makes you lose your ba
絆倒
腳踢到東西而失去平衡
to hit your foot on an object when you walk or run, which makes you lose your balance and start to fall.
Rania stumbled on a loose stone and nearly dropped her shopping bags.
Rania 被一塊鬆動的石頭絆到，差點弄掉手上的購物袋。
Caleb stumbled over the rug edge and grabbed the door frame to steady himself.
Caleb 被地毯邊緣絆了一下，趕緊抓住門框穩住自己。
"stumble over" + object — pattern for what causes the trip
An old woman stumbled as she stepped off the bus in the pouring rain.
一位老太太在傾盆大雨中下公車時絆了一下。
Joon stumbled twice during the race but still finished in third place.
Joon 在比賽中絆倒了兩次，但最後還是拿到第三名。
- trip
more general; can be intentional (trip someone) whereas stumble is always accidental
- lose one's footing
more formal and describes the result rather than the cause
文法句型
stumble + on/over/against + noun phrase
用法筆記
This is the most common physical sense. The object that causes the trip is introduced by "over", "on", or sometimes "against". Can also be used without an object — "She stumbled and fell."
常見錯誤
2. to walk in an unsteady or clumsy way, as if you might fall at any moment, often
蹣跚；踉蹌
腳步不穩地行走
to walk in an unsteady or clumsy way, as if you might fall at any moment, often because of tiredness, darkness, or uneven ground.
Dewi stumbled through the dark living room to find the light switch.
Dewi 在漆黑的客廳裡跌跌撞撞地找電燈開關。
Jabari stumbled out of the small fishing boat onto the sandy beach.
Jabari 從小漁船上搖搖晃晃地走上沙灘。
"stumble out of" — direction pattern for leaving clumsily
The sleepy child stumbled toward her mother with her blanket trailing behind.
睏倦的小孩拖著毯子，搖搖晃晃地走向媽媽。
Valentina stumbled along the uneven path with her heavy backpack for hours.
Valentina 揹著沈重的背包，在凹凸不平的小路上蹣跚走了好幾個小時。
- stride
describes walking with long, confident steps
文法句型
stumble + adverb/preposition (along, out, through, toward)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (TRIP): sense 1 describes one specific moment of hitting an obstacle, while this sense describes continuous unsteady movement over a distance. Often followed by a direction word ("along", "out", "through", "toward").
3. to have difficulty speaking smoothly, making pauses, repeating words, or making
結巴；說錯
說話結巴或出錯
to have difficulty speaking smoothly, making pauses, repeating words, or making mistakes because of nervousness, uncertainty, or lack of preparation.
Iker stumbled over his words during the job interview and had to pause.
Iker 在求職面試中說錯話，只好停下來。
"stumble over one's words" — fixed phrase for speaking mistakes
Sana stumbled through her opening statement but grew more confident as she continued.
Sana 結結巴巴地唸完開場白，但越講越有信心。
During the first act, the actor stumbled over his lines twice and the director was furious.
那位演員在第一幕就唸錯兩次臺詞，導演氣壞了。
Tamar stumbled over her answer when a reporter asked about the campaign's missing funds.
記者問到競選經費短缺的事時，Tamar 結結巴巴地說不出話來。
- fluent
describes smooth, effortless speech
文法句型
stumble + over/through + noun phrase (words, speech, name)
用法筆記
The most common object of this sense is "words" — "stumble over your words" is a fixed expression. May also take a specific difficult word or name as the object: "She stumbled over his surname."
常見錯誤
4. to make a serious or careless error in judgment, planning, or performance, espec
犯錯；出岔子
判斷或行動上犯下錯誤
to make a serious or careless error in judgment, planning, or performance, especially one that has negative consequences.
Hannah stumbled badly when she gave the wrong sales figures to the board.
Hannah 向董事會報告了錯誤的銷售數據，出了個大差錯。
"stumble badly" — collocation for a serious mistake
The company stumbled by launching the new product before it was fully tested.
那家公司在產品還沒完全測試好就推出，犯下了錯誤。
Anong stumbled in the second round by moving her queen too early, and her opponent captured it instantly.
Anong 在第二輪太早移動皇后，結果被對手立刻吃掉而輸掉棋賽。
The team stumbled early in the project by ignoring the budget limits.
這個團隊在專案初期就忽略了預算限制，犯了錯。
- succeed
focuses on achieving the intended result without errors
文法句型
stumble + adverb (badly, early)
stumble in + noun phrase
用法筆記
Typically used with an adverb ("badly", "early") or a prepositional phrase ("in the second round", "by launching") to describe the context of the error. Less common in everyday conversation than the physical or speech senses.
5. to unexpectedly meet someone or discover something without actively searching fo
偶遇
意外遇到或找到
to unexpectedly meet someone or discover something without actively searching for it.
Caleb stumbled across an old photo album while cleaning out the attic.
Caleb 在清理閣樓時無意間發現了一本舊相簿。
"stumble across" — phrasal pattern for unexpected discovery
Rania stumbled upon a small café that served the best coffee in town.
Rania 意外發現了一家小咖啡館，賣的是全城最好喝的咖啡。
While hiking in the forest, Joon and Dewi stumbled on a hidden waterfall.
Joon 和 Dewi 在森林裡健行時，偶然發現了一座隱藏的瀑布。
The journalist stumbled across evidence of corruption while researching another story.
那位記者在調查另一則報導時，意外發現了貪腐的證據。
- come across
more general and slightly more common in everyday speech
- happen upon
more formal or literary; implies an element of luck
- search for
a deliberate, planned effort to find something
文法句型
stumble + across/upon/on + noun phrase
用法筆記
Always used with a particle — "across", "upon", or "on" — which cannot be omitted. "Stumble across" and "stumble upon" are interchangeable; "stumble on" is slightly more informal. The subject is usually a person, and the object is something unexpected or valuable.