twain
twain — 數詞
1. An old-fashioned or poetic word meaning two — used before a plural noun to say t
二；兩
古語或詩歌用語，表示「二」
An old-fashioned or poetic word meaning two — used before a plural noun to say that there are two of something.
There were twain knights who guarded the castle gate, as the old tale goes.
根據古老的傳說，有兩名騎士守衛著城堡的大門。
archaic register: used before a plural noun (twain knights)
The ancient manuscript spoke of twain rivers flowing from the same mountain.
那部古老的手稿提到有兩條河流發源於同一座山。
In the story, twain travellers met at a crossroads at midnight.
故事中，兩名旅人在深夜於十字路口相遇。
The poet wrote of twain doves that flew across the battlefield.
詩人寫下了兩隻鴿子飛越戰場的句子。
- two
the standard modern word; use in all everyday contexts
- a couple of
informal; interchangeable with 'two' but slightly less precise
文法句型
twain + plural noun
用法筆記
This use of twain as a determiner (directly before a noun) is extremely rare in modern English. Learners are far more likely to encounter twain as a noun in the fixed phrase 'in twain' or the saying 'never the twain shall meet.'
常見錯誤
twain — 名詞
1. A literary or old-fashioned word for two people or things regarded as a pair — o
一對；成雙
古語指兩個人物，或指「分成兩半」
A literary or old-fashioned word for two people or things regarded as a pair — or (in the phrase 'in twain') meaning into two separate pieces.
A log blocked the path, so Léa split it in twain with an axe.
一根木頭擋住了路，Léa 用一把斧頭把它劈成了兩半。
fixed phrase: in twain (= into two pieces)
The old rhyme tells of the twain, two lovers kept apart by war.
那首古老的歌謠講述兩位因戰爭而分離的戀人。
the twain = the pair (people)
Renata tore the letter in twain and threw the halves into the fire.
Renata 把信撕成兩半，將兩片碎片扔進火裡。
fixed phrase: in twain (= into two pieces)
The painting showed the twain — a young woman and an old man — at a table.
畫中描繪了兩個人——一名年輕女子和一名老翁——坐在一張桌子旁。
the twain = the pair (people)
In the legend, the wooden bridge broke in twain as the soldiers crossed it.
傳說中，士兵們過橋時，那座木橋斷成了兩截。
- in twain
- never the twain
- the twain
文法句型
the twain (subject/object)
in twain (adverbial phrase)
用法筆記
As a noun, 'twain' appears most often in two kinds of context: (1) the fixed phrase 'in twain' meaning 'into two pieces' (e.g., 'cut in twain,' 'split in twain,' 'torn in twain'), and (2) the well-known saying 'never the twain shall meet,' which refers to two things that are so different they cannot coexist or be reconciled.
常見錯誤
A saying meaning that two things are so fundamentally different that they can never come together or be combined.
兩者涇渭分明，永遠不會交會；兩者截然不同
The director believed that art and commerce were opposing forces and that never the twain shall meet.
Some critics argue that traditional folk music and electronic beats are worlds apart, and never the twain shall meet.
同根字
常見搭配
常用片語
- in twain
- never the twain shall meet
- the twain