unearthing
/ʌnˈɜːθ/ (bre, ipa) · [ənˈɚθɪŋ] /ʌnˈɝːθ/ (ame, ipa)
unearthing — 動詞
- unearthingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- unearthings3rd person singular
- unearthinging-ing form
- unearthingedpast simple
1. to dig something out of the ground, bringing it to the surface after it has been
發掘；挖出
從地下挖掘出埋藏物
to dig something out of the ground, bringing it to the surface after it has been buried for a long time, often by accident or during construction work
Workers unearthed a Roman coin while digging the foundation for a new school building.
工人在挖新學校地基時，挖出了一枚古羅馬硬幣。
passive agent: Workers unearthed … while digging
The team of archaeologists spent three weeks unearthing the remains of an old temple near the river.
考古團隊花了三週時間，在河邊發掘出一座古老神廟的遺跡。
duration pattern: spent [time] unearthing
A farmer unearthed a giant fossil when he was plowing his field just outside the village.
一位農夫在耕田時，挖出了一塊巨大的化石。
During the road construction, the builders unearthed several clay pots that were more than a thousand years old.
道路施工期間，建築工人挖出了好幾個超過千年的陶罐。
Elena unearthed an old metal box filled with silver coins buried under the floor of the barn.
Elena 在穀倉地板下，挖出了一個裝滿銀幣的舊鐵盒。
- bury
to put something into the ground and cover it
文法句型
unearth + noun phrase (what is found)
用法筆記
Subject is often a person, a team of workers, or a machine doing construction or excavation. The object is usually a physical object such as bones, tools, pottery, or treasure.
常見錯誤
2. to discover something that someone was deliberately keeping secret or hidden, of
揭露；揭發
找出被隱藏或掩蓋的事物
to discover something that someone was deliberately keeping secret or hidden, often revealing wrongdoing, a scandal, or a personal truth
The old love letters unearthed a family secret that no one had ever spoken about.
那些泛黃的情書，揭露了一個家人從未提起的秘密。
subject is the thing that reveals (letters)
Gabriel unearthed documents showing that the company had been hiding its losses for years.
Gabriel 揭發的文件顯示，那家公司多年來一直在隱瞞虧損。
unearth + documents showing [that-clause]
While cleaning the attic, Lotte unearthed photographs proving her grandmother had secretly worked as a nurse during the war.
Lotte 清理閣樓時，翻出了老照片，證實祖母在戰爭期間曾祕密擔任護士。
The police investigation unearthed evidence of a secret payment system used by the former manager.
警方的調查揭露了前經理私下運作的一套秘密付款系統。
- discover
more general; does not imply the thing was deliberately hidden
- uncover
very close in meaning; 'uncover' is slightly more common for secrets
- bring to light
idiomatic expression emphasising the shift from hidden to known
文法句型
unearth + noun phrase (the hidden thing)
用法筆記
Object can be either concrete (documents, photographs) or abstract (secrets, scandals, truth). Unlike sense 3 (DISCOVER INFO), here the information was deliberately kept secret by someone — often because it involves wrongdoing or sensitive personal matters.
常見錯誤
3. to find important information, data, or proof by searching very carefully and in
查明；發現
經仔細搜尋後找到資訊或證據
to find important information, data, or proof by searching very carefully and in great detail, especially in research, news reporting, or legal work
Historians unearthed government records that proved the city had been built over an ancient burial ground.
歷史學家查到的政府紀錄顯示，這座城市建在一片古代墓地上。
subject: historians; object: records + that-clause
A team of researchers unearthed data that changed the way doctors treat the disease.
一組研究人員找到了關鍵數據，改變了醫生治療這種疾病的方式。
subject: research team; object: data + that-clause
Devika unearthed information that connected the politician to secret meetings with foreign lobbyists.
Devika 查到了資訊，證明那位政治人物曾與外國說客祕密會面。
After months of searching through old records, the detective unearthed proof of the fraud.
經過數月翻查舊檔案，偵探終於找到了詐騙案的證據。
A consumer group unearthed evidence that some food labels were misleading customers about the sugar content.
一個消費者團體發現證據，顯示部分食品標籤在糖含量上誤導顧客。
Kofi unearthed facts from the budget reports that no one in the finance department had noticed before.
Kofi 從預算報告中查出了財務部門先前沒有人注意到的數據。
- dig up
informal phrasal verb; 'I dug up some interesting facts online'
- ferret out
more informal, emphasises determined searching through small details
- ascertain
formal; focuses on establishing a fact as certain
文法句型
unearth + noun phrase (data / evidence / facts)
用法筆記
Common in academic, news, and legal contexts. The search is deliberate and often takes a long time. Unlike sense 2 (REVEAL HIDDEN), the information here was not deliberately kept secret — it was simply difficult to access, buried in large amounts of data, or long forgotten in archives.