trope

/trəʊp/ (bre, ipa) · /trəʊp/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtrōp/ (ame, mw)

trope — 名詞

  • tropesingular
  • tropesplural

1. a familiar subject, expression, or visual element that appears repeatedly in boo

1.名詞B2
釋義

常見套路

在藝術或媒體中反覆出現的主題或模式

a familiar subject, expression, or visual element that appears repeatedly in books, films, television shows, or other creative works, often to the point of being expected or predictable

例句

The 'chosen one' is a common trope in fantasy, where a young hero must save the world.

「天選之人」是奇幻小說中的常見橋段，一位年輕英雄必須拯救世界。

common trope in [genre]

Many romantic comedies use a trope where two people dislike each other but later fall in love.

許多浪漫喜劇使用了一種常見套路：兩個人一開始互看不順眼，最後卻墜入愛河。

trope of [someone / something]

同義詞
  • motif

    more neutral and less negative than 'trope'; a motif is a recurring symbolic element rather than a predictable plot device

  • cliché

    stronger negative connotation; a cliché is a trope that has become so overused it feels boring or unoriginal

  • convention

    broader term for an accepted technique or practice in a genre, not necessarily overused

反義詞
  • innovation

    a new or original idea that breaks away from familiar tropes

用法筆記

Frequently used in literary and film criticism to identify overused or conventional elements. When describing a negative or unoriginal trope, writers often pair it with adjectives such as 'tired,' 'clichéd,' or 'overused.'

常見錯誤

❌The movie had many tropes like metaphors.
✅The movie used many familiar tropes, such as the hero's journey and the love triangle.
💡Tropes are not the same as figures of speech; sense 1 refers to recurring story elements, not rhetorical devices.

2. an expression whose meaning goes beyond the literal, making the reader see somet

2.名詞C1
釋義

修辭手法

不同於字面意義的用語方式

an expression whose meaning goes beyond the literal, making the reader see something in a fresh way — for example, calling the sea 'angry' or describing time as a 'thief'

例句

A metaphor is a trope that compares two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

隱喻是一種修辭手法，它不用「像」或「如」這類詞來比較兩個不同的東西。

metaphor is a trope

'The winds of change are blowing' is a trope politicians use to suggest major shifts.

「變革之風正在吹起」是政治人物用來暗示重大轉變的一種比喻。

trope suggesting / meaning [idea]

同義詞
  • figure of speech

    broader category that includes tropes; every trope is a figure of speech, but not every figure of speech (e.g., alliteration) is a trope

  • metaphor

    a specific type of trope, not a synonym for the whole category

反義詞
  • literal language

    words used with their exact, ordinary meaning rather than a figurative one

用法筆記

This sense belongs to the study of rhetoric and linguistics. In everyday conversation, sense 1 (recurring narrative element) is far more common. To distinguish: if it is a pattern in the story structure, use sense 1; if it is a non-literal way of using words, use sense 2.