tongue
tongue — 名詞
- tonguesingular
- tonguesplural
1. The soft, movable piece of flesh inside your mouth that helps you taste food, sp
舌頭
口腔內可移動的柔軟器官
The soft, movable piece of flesh inside your mouth that helps you taste food, speak, and swallow.
The doctor asked Mira to open her mouth and stick out her tongue.
醫生請 Mira 張開嘴巴，伸出舌頭。
tongue + stick out for medical examination
Ari burned his tongue on the hot tea and could not taste the cake.
Ari 被熱茶燙到了舌頭，吃不出蛋糕的味道。
The cat's rough tongue felt strange against Dahlia's hand.
貓咪粗糙的舌頭碰觸 Dahlia 的手時，感覺很奇怪。
Naoko bit her tongue by accident while eating lunch.
Naoko 吃飯時不小心咬到了舌頭。
bite + tongue for accidental injury
When Yuna was a baby, she loved to touch everything with her tongue.
Yuna 還是嬰兒的時候，很喜歡用舌頭碰觸所有東西。
- burn your tongue
- bite your tongue
- stick out your tongue
- tongue piercing
- tip of the tongue
- on your tongue
用法筆記
Often used with possessive pronouns (my tongue, her tongue). The verb 'stick out' is the most common instruction from doctors.
常見錯誤
2. Meat from the tongue of animals such as cows or pigs, prepared and eaten as a di
舌肉；口條
動物舌頭烹調而成的食物
Meat from the tongue of animals such as cows or pigs, prepared and eaten as a dish.
My grandmother made a sandwich with sliced tongue and pickles.
我祖母用切片舌肉和酸黃瓜做了三明治。
sliced tongue in a sandwich
Caleb ordered braised tongue at the traditional restaurant.
Caleb 在那家傳統餐廳點了紅燒舌肉。
In some countries, cow tongue is a special dish for holiday feasts.
在某些國家，牛舌是節日盛宴上的特別菜餚。
The market sells smoked tongue for about the same price as ham.
市場賣的煙燻舌肉價格跟火腿差不多。
- sliced tongue
- smoked tongue
- braised tongue
- pickled tongue
- cow tongue
- beef tongue
用法筆記
Usually refers to the tongue of cows (beef tongue) or pigs (pork tongue). In Taiwan-style menus, it is often called 牛舌 (niú shé) or 豬舌 (zhū shé).
3. A short flat piece of leather or fabric inside a shoe, positioned below the row
鞋舌
鞋帶下方覆蓋腳背的片狀部分
A short flat piece of leather or fabric inside a shoe, positioned below the row of laces to cushion the top of the foot.
The tongue of Vikram's new boots keeps sliding to one side.
Vikram 新靴子的鞋舌一直滑到一邊。
tongue + of + shoe/boot
Mira pulled the tongue forward before she tightened the laces.
Mira 把鞋舌往前拉，然後才繫緊鞋帶。
A rip in the tongue let water leak into Eshe's hiking shoe.
鞋舌上破了一個洞，水滲進了 Eshe 的登山鞋裡。
The leather tongue has a small tag inside that shows the shoe size.
皮革鞋舌內側有一個小標籤，上面標示鞋子尺寸。
Caleb folded the tongue flat and tied his running shoes loosely.
Caleb 把鞋舌弄平，然後把跑鞋的鞋帶繫得鬆鬆的。
- tongue of the shoe
- tongue slides
- tongue tag
- tongue pad
- under the tongue of the boot
用法筆記
The shoe tongue is the flap under the laces. If the tongue slides to one side, the shoe is said to have a 'wandering tongue' — a common minor design problem.
4. A system of spoken or written words used by a particular group of people to comm
語言；話語
特定群體使用的口語或文字溝通系統
A system of spoken or written words used by a particular group of people to communicate with one another.
Ari's mother tongue is Tamil, but he speaks English at work every day.
Ari 的母語是坦米爾語，但他每天上班都說英文。
mother tongue = first language
The tour guide spoke in a foreign tongue that none of the visitors understood.
導遊用一種來訪者都聽不懂的外國語言說話。
Matthew is learning a second tongue to prepare for his trip to Japan.
Matthew 正在學第二外語，為他的日本之旅做準備。
The old manuscript was written in a tongue no longer spoken by anyone alive.
這本古老的手稿是用一種已無人使用的語言寫成的。
Naoko finds it easiest to express her feelings in her native tongue.
Naoko 覺得用母語表達感受最為容易。
native tongue = language you grew up speaking
- mother tongue
- native tongue
- foreign tongue
- common tongue
- ancient tongue
用法筆記
This is a more poetic or formal synonym for 'language'. It frequently appears in fixed phrases: 'mother tongue', 'native tongue', 'foreign tongue'. It is not used for computer or programming languages.
常見錯誤
5. The particular style or quality of a person's speech, especially regarding how h
談吐；口氣
個人言談的風格、態度或措辭傾向
The particular style or quality of a person's speech, especially regarding how harsh, persuasive, or expressive their words are.
The lawyer's sharp tongue made the witness feel uncomfortable in court.
律師的銳利言詞讓證人在法庭上感到很不自在。
sharp tongue = tendency to say harsh things
Vikram has a smooth tongue and can charm almost anyone he meets.
Vikram 說話圓滑，幾乎可以打動他遇到的任何人。
The teacher warned the student to watch his tongue during the debate.
老師警告那名學生在辯論時要謹言慎行。
watch your tongue = be careful what you say
Aylin's bitter tongue often hurt the feelings of people around her.
Aylin 尖酸的口氣常常傷害周圍朋友的感受。
Despite his kind face, the old man still had a very sharp tongue.
儘管那位老人面容慈祥，他的言詞仍然十分鋒利。
- sharp tongue
- smooth tongue
- silver tongue
- bitter tongue
- loose tongue
- forked tongue
用法筆記
Always used with a preceding adjective that describes the quality of speech (sharp, smooth, bitter, loose, silver, forked). The adjective is essential — 'he has a tongue' alone does not convey this meaning.
6. A long, narrow stretch of land that reaches out into a sea, lake, or river, like
狹長地帶；岬
向水域突出的狹長陸地
A long, narrow stretch of land that reaches out into a sea, lake, or river, like the shape of a tongue.
The boat sailed carefully around a narrow tongue of land covered with pine trees.
船小心翼翼地繞過一片長滿松樹的狹長地帶。
tongue + of + land
A sandy tongue of land stretches far into the calm blue lake.
一片沙質的狹長陸地向平靜的藍色湖泊延伸出去。
The old castle was built on a tongue of land between two rivers.
那座古城堡建在兩條河流之間的狹長地帶上。
Geologists studied the rocky tongue that jutted into the ocean.
地質學家研究了那片突出入海的岩石岬角。
Birds nested on the grassy tongue of land near the river mouth.
鳥兒在河口附近那片長滿草的狹長陸地上築巢。
- tongue of land
- tongue of the sea
- narrow tongue
- rocky tongue
- sandy tongue
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'of land' or 'of [water body]'. Used in formal or descriptive writing rather than casual conversation. In geography, a similar feature is called a 'peninsula' when larger.
7. A narrow, moving piece of flame that rises from something that is burning, shape
火舌
狹長且舞動的火焰
A narrow, moving piece of flame that rises from something that is burning, shaped somewhat like a tongue.
Tongues of flame rose from the barn and lit up the night sky.
火舌從穀倉中竄起，照亮了夜空。
tongues of flame = moving fire shaped like tongues
A small tongue of fire danced above the candle wick.
一小縷火苗在蠟燭芯上方跳動。
The firefighter watched a tongue of flame spread across the dry grass.
消防員看著火舌在乾草上蔓延開來。
Tongues of fire licked at the wooden beams of the old farmhouse.
火舌舔舐著老農舍的木頭橫樑。
From the campfire, a tongue of flame stretched upward into the dark.
一道火舌從營火中向上伸展到黑暗中。
- tongue of flame
- tongue of fire
- tongues of flame rose
- tongues of fire licked
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural (tongues of flame/fire). Common in literary or journalistic descriptions of fires. The verb 'lick' often co-occurs with this sense (tongues of fire licked at...).
8. A heavy metal part suspended from the top inside of a bell; as the bell swings,
鐘舌；鐘錘
懸掛於鐘內部用以撞擊發聲的金屬部件
A heavy metal part suspended from the top inside of a bell; as the bell swings, it hits the inner walls to produce a ringing tone.
The bell's iron tongue swung back and struck the metal sides.
鐘的鐵製鐘舌來回擺動，撞擊著金屬鐘壁。
bell + tongue = clapper
When the church bell was stolen, its tongue was later found in the grass.
教堂的鐘被偷後，它的鐘舌後來在草叢中被找到了。
The blacksmith forged a new tongue for the cracked bell.
鐵匠為那口破裂的鐘打造了一個新的鐘舌。
Each time the tongue struck the bell, a deep sound filled the valley.
每當鐘舌撞擊鐘壁，低沉的聲音便充滿了整個山谷。
Without its tongue, the old bell could not make any sound at all.
沒有鐘舌，那口老鐘就完全發不出聲音了。
- bell tongue
- tongue of the bell
- iron tongue
- tongue struck
- clapper
the more common modern term; 'tongue' is older and more literary
用法筆記
A technical term more commonly called a 'clapper'. Learners are unlikely to need this sense in everyday conversation, but it appears in literature and descriptions of church bells.
a slip of the tongue
idiomA small mistake made when speaking, where you accidentally say the wrong word.
口誤；說溜嘴
Christopher called his teacher 'Mum' by accident — it was just a slip of the tongue.
The politician's slip of the tongue cost him support from voters.
Used when you are certain that you know a word or name but cannot remember it at that moment.
就在嘴邊（一時想不起來）
Her name is on the tip of my tongue — wait, it's Elara!
The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but he could not quite say it.
bite your tongue
idiomTo force yourself not to say something that might upset someone or cause trouble.
忍住不說；保持沉默
I wanted to argue, but I bit my tongue and stayed quiet.
Aylin bit her tongue when her colleague made a rude comment about her work.
hold your tongue
idiomTo remain silent, especially when you would like to give your opinion.
閉嘴；保持安靜
The guard told the prisoner to hold his tongue during the trial.
Vikram knew he should hold his tongue, but the insult was too much.
cat got your tongue?
idiomA playful question asked when someone is unexpectedly silent or refuses to speak.
啞巴了嗎？（戲謔地問為何不說話）
You have not said a word all evening — has the cat got your tongue?
The teacher asked the shy student, 'Well? Cat got your tongue?'
with tongue in cheek
idiomSaid or done in a humorous or ironic way, not meant to be taken seriously.
半開玩笑地；諷刺地
Her remark about the boss was made with tongue in cheek, but nobody laughed.
The article was written with tongue in cheek and should not be read as fact.
Tongue River
idiomA river 246 miles (396 kilometers) long that flows through northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States and joins the Yellowstone River.
坦格河（美國懷俄明州及蒙大拿州河流）
The Tongue River flows north through Montana before reaching the Yellowstone River.
Farmers along the Tongue River rely on its water for irrigation during dry summers.
tongue — 動詞
- tonguepresent simple I / you / we / they
- tongues3rd person singular
- tonguing-ing form
- tonguedpast simple
1. To use your tongue to briefly interrupt the flow of air into a wind instrument,
運舌（吹奏）
吹管樂器時以舌頭控制氣流來奏出音符
To use your tongue to briefly interrupt the flow of air into a wind instrument, producing clear, separated musical notes.
The trumpet player learned to tongue each note clearly and quickly.
小號手學會了將每個音符都吹得清晰而分明。
tongue + each note = play with short interruptions
Dahlia practised tonguing for an hour to improve her clarinet speed.
Dahlia 練習運舌了一個小時，以提升吹單簧管的速度。
The teacher showed Caleb how to tongue the staccato notes in the piece.
老師示範給 Caleb 看如何用運舌技巧吹奏斷音。
For this passage, the flutist must tongue every single note rather than slur them together.
在這一段中，長笛手必須每個音都用運舌來吹，不能連奏。
Naoko struggled to tongue fast enough for the difficult jazz solo.
Naoko 努力嘗試用足夠快的運舌來演奏那段困難的爵士獨奏。
- tongue a note
- tongue each note
- tongue clearly
- double tongue
- triple tongue
- slur
to play notes smoothly without separating them with the tongue
文法句型
tongue + noun phrase
tongue + adverb
用法筆記
The opposite of tonguing is 'slurring', where notes are played without stopping the air. In musical notation, tongued notes are marked with dots above or below them (staccato).
2. To touch, lick, or gently move the tongue over a surface, usually to taste, clea
舔；用舌碰觸
用舌頭觸碰或舔舐某物
To touch, lick, or gently move the tongue over a surface, usually to taste, clean, or examine something.
The baby tongued the piece of bread before deciding to eat it.
嬰兒用舌頭碰了碰那片麵包，然後才決定吃下去。
tongue + food = explore with tongue
Eshe watched the snake tongue the air to sense its surroundings.
Eshe 看著蛇吐信探查周圍環境。
The dog tongued the bowl until every last piece of food was gone.
狗把碗舔得乾乾淨淨，一粒食物都沒有剩下。
Vikram tongued his dry lips nervously before the job interview.
Vikram 在面試前緊張地用舌頭舔了舔乾燥的嘴唇。
The cat sat quietly and tongued its paw to clean between each toe.
貓靜靜地坐著，用舌頭清理每一根腳趾之間的毛。
- tongue the air
- tongue one's lips
- tongue the food
文法句型
tongue + noun phrase
用法筆記
This verb is less common than 'lick'. It emphasizes a gentle, exploring, or deliberate movement of the tongue, whereas 'lick' can be quicker or more vigorous. Often used for animals or babies.
同根字
- tongued形容詞C1
- tongue-tied形容詞B2
- tongueless形容詞C2
- tonguing名詞C2
- tongue-twister名詞B2