woe
woe — 名詞
1. serious difficulties or misfortunes that cause great unhappiness, often affectin
苦難；災禍
嚴重的困難或不幸
serious difficulties or misfortunes that cause great unhappiness, often affecting many people or lasting a long time
The new mayor promised to solve the financial woes of the public library.
新任市長承諾要解決公共圖書館的財務困境。
collocation: financial woes
The fishing village faced many woes after the storm destroyed their boats.
暴風雨摧毀了漁船後，這個漁村面臨了許多苦難。
A neighborhood group formed to share stories of their money troubles and household woes.
一個社區團體成立，讓大家分享財務困難與家庭煩惱。
The school's woes began when its main building was damaged by the earthquake.
這所學校的災難始於主建築在地震中受損。
Tales of woe spread through the town after the factory announced it would close.
工廠宣布關閉後，苦難的故事迅速傳遍了整個小鎮。
- trouble
more common and less formal than woe; can refer to any difficulty
- hardship
emphasizes difficult living conditions such as poverty or illness
- misfortune
focuses on bad luck or an unlucky event rather than ongoing problems
- blessing
something that brings happiness or good fortune
- good fortune
a situation marked by luck or success
文法句型
the + plural woes + of + noun
用法筆記
Usually appears in plural form (woes) when referring to a collection of problems. The singular form is more common in fixed expressions such as 'tale of woe'.
常見錯誤
2. a very deep feeling of great unhappiness, especially caused by loss, death, or d
悲傷；悲痛
極度的哀傷或痛苦
a very deep feeling of great unhappiness, especially caused by loss, death, or disappointment
A look of woe appeared on Elena's face when she read the letter.
Elena 讀到家鄉來信時，臉上浮現出悲傷的神情。
pattern: look of woe / expression of woe
The widow's heart was filled with woe long after the funeral was over.
葬禮結束很久之後，那位寡婦的心中仍然充滿了悲痛。
pattern: filled with woe
A quiet sense of woe filled the room as the doctor delivered the bad news.
醫生傳來壞消息時，房間裡籠罩著一股無聲的哀傷。
In the painting, the woman's expression of woe moved everyone who saw it.
在那幅畫中，那名女子悲傷的表情感動了每一位觀賞者。
The old poem describes a queen whose woe over her lost child never faded.
那首古詩描述了一位女王因失去孩子而永不消逝的悲痛。
- grief
stronger and more specific to loss through death; more common than woe
- sorrow
a close synonym, slightly more common in everyday use
- mournfulness
less common; describes a sad, thoughtful state rather than sharp pain
文法句型
a/the + noun + of woe
filled with woe
用法筆記
This sense is uncountable and describes an emotional state, not a collection of problems. Distinguish from sense 1, where the plural 'woes' refers to specific troubles or misfortunes.
常見錯誤
woe — 感嘆詞
1. a word used in old or formal language to express that something is terrible or t
唉；嗚呼
表達極度悲傷的感嘆詞
a word used in old or formal language to express that something is terrible or that someone feels extremely sad, often as a warning or a cry of pain
'Woe to those who would destroy the peace of this village!' shouted the elder.
「禍哉，那些破壞這村莊安寧的人！」長老喊道。
In the old story, the queen cried 'Woe is me!' when her castle fell.
在那個古老的故事中，城牆倒塌時女王哭喊著：「我好苦啊！」
phrase: woe is me
'Woe!' the knight said quietly, watching his friend fall on the battlefield.
「唉！」騎士輕聲說道，眼睜睜看著他的朋友倒在戰場上。
The ancient text begins with the warning 'Woe to the unjust rulers of the land.'
這部古籍開頭便警告：「禍哉，地上不義的統治者們。」
文法句型
woe + to + noun
woe + is + me
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in historical writing, religious texts, old poems, or modern works that imitate old language. Learners will rarely need to produce this but should recognize it when reading classic literature or the Bible.