plain adj. ⇨plain1 (a plain white shirt)⇨plain2 (the plain truth)⇨average (plain common sense)⇨clear1 (plain to see)⇨clear2 (plain English)⇨ugly (a plain girl)⇨plain sailing⇨easy1plain1
adjective
a plain white shirt白衬衣the plain truth显而易见的事实plain ♦︎ simple ♦︎ bare ♦︎ stark ♦︎ severe ♦︎ austereThese words all describe things that have no decoration or other unnecessary additions.这些词均表示不加修饰的、简朴的。SYNONYM SCALE 词义标尺下图显示这些词所表达简朴的程度
plain
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stark
simple
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PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆a plain / a simple / an austere design◆a plain / simple / bare interior◆the simple / stark / austere lines of sth◆a plain / simple / bare / stark white...◆a plain / simple / stark / severe black...◆very plain / simple / bare / austere◆rather plain / stark / severe / austere◆almost bare / severe / austere■plainwithout decoration, a pattern, marks or other additions; not complicated无修饰的;无花纹的;素的;简单的◆Wear it with a plain white shirt.把它和白衬衣配着穿。◆Patterned carpet shows the dirt less than a plain colour.花色地毯比单色地毯耐脏。◆Do you want plain or lined paper?你想要白纸还是条格纸?◆plain food / cooking清淡的食物;简单的烹调方法◆plain yogurt(= without sugar or fruit)原味酸奶OPPfancy ⇨ decorative see also plain ⇨ ugly▸plainly
adverb
◆She was plainly dressed and wore no make-up.她穿着朴素,不施脂粉。■simple (especiallywritten, usuallyapproving) basic or plain, without anything extra or unnecessary; consisting of only a few parts; not complicated in structure朴素的;简朴的;部件少的;结构简单的◆The best gowns are simple and elegant.最好的礼服要简单、雅致。◆We had a simple meal of soup and bread.我们喝汤,吃面包,凑合了一顿。◆The accommodation is simple but spacious.住处很简朴,但很宽敞。◆It's quite a simple machine(= one that is not complicated and has only a few parts).这部机器一点也不复杂。◆ (grammar语法) a simple sentence(= one with only one verb)简单句OPPfancy ⇨ decorative▸simplicity sɪmˈplɪsəti
noun
[uncountable] ◆ (approving) the simplicity of the architecture建筑风格的简洁质朴▸simply
adverb
◆The rooms were simply furnished.房间配有简单的家具。◆They live simply(= they do not spend much money).他们过着简朴的生活。■bare (especiallywritten) (of surfaces) not covered with or protected by anything(表面)无遮盖的,没有保护物的◆bare wooden floorboards未铺地毯的木地板◆The walls were bare except for a small mirror.墙上光秃秃的,只有一面小镜子。◆They found themselves in a huge bare hall.他们发现自己在一个空荡荡的大厅里。■stark (especiallywritten, oftendisapproving) without any colour, decoration or comfort了无修饰的;粗陋的◆The corridors were stark and uncarpeted.走廊上没有装饰,也没铺地毯。◆The hills stood stark against the winter sky.冬日的天空下,小山了无生气。■severe (usuallydisapproving) extremely plain and without anything that makes it look soft or beautiful过于简朴的◆Her hair was cut in a very short, severe style.她的头发剪得非常短,没有花样。◆She was wearing a severe dark grey jacket.她穿了一件很普通的深灰色夹克。▸severely
adverb
◆Her hair was tied severely in a bun.她的头发简单地盘成了一个发髻。■austereɒˈstɪə(r), ɔːˈstɪə(r); NAmEɔːˈstɪr (especiallywritten, usuallyapproving) simple and plain, with no decoration, usually because that is what sb prefers(通常因个人喜好)朴素的,简陋的,无华饰的◆the austere simplicity of the building建筑物的朴素无华◆the lonely, austere beauty of his painting of a station in the snow他那幅雪中车站油画的孤独、朴素之美plain
noun
plain ♦︎ plateau ♦︎ grassland ♦︎ prairie ♦︎ lowland ♦︎ savannah ♦︎ steppe ♦︎ pampasThese words all mean a large area of land.这些词均表示平原、高原或草原。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆on the plains / the plateau / grassland / the prairie / the savannah / the steppes / the pampas◆in grassland / the lowlands / the savannah / the steppes / the pampas◆the open plain / plateau / grassland / prairie / savannah◆the rolling plain / plateau / grasslands / prairie◆the high plains / plateau■plain [countable] ( plains [plural]) a large area of flat land平原◆To the east lies the flat coastal plain of the Yucatan peninsula.东边是尤卡坦半岛平坦的海滨平原。◆Millions of buffalo used to roam freely across the Great Plains.数百万只野牛曾经在北美洲大平原无拘无束地活动。■plateau ˈplætəʊ; NAmEplæˈtoʊ [countable] (pluralplateausorplateauxplæˈtəʊz; NAmEplæˈtoʊz)an area of flat land that is higher than the land around it高原◆From a narrow fringe of coastal plain, the main island rises to a central plateau.主岛的沿海地带狭窄平缓,中部隆起形成高原。■grasslandˈgrɑːslænd; NAmEˈgræslænd [uncountable] ( grasslands [plural]) a large area of open land covered with wild grass草原;草地;草场◆The lion adapted itself to dry, open grassland where a yellow coat was most effective.狮子适应了干燥、开阔的草原,黄色的皮毛最适合这样的环境。■prairieˈpreəri; NAmEˈpreri [countable, uncountable] a flat wide area of land in North America, without many trees and originally covered with grass北美草原◆The North American prairie was once the world's largest grassland.北美草原曾经是世界上最大的草原。■lowlandˈləʊlənd; NAmEˈloʊlənd [countable, usually plural] an area of land that is fairly flat and not very high above sea level低地◆the lowlands of Scotland苏格兰低地◆Much of the region is lowland.该地区大部分是低地。OPPhighlands ⇨ hill▸lowland
adjective
◆lowland areas / farmers低地地区;生活在低地的农场主■savannah ( savanna) səˈvænə [countable, uncountable] a wide flat open area of land that is covered with grass and has few trees, especially in Africa(尤指非洲的)稀树草原◆Mount Kilimanjaro rises straight up out of the African savannah.乞力马扎罗山在非洲草原上拔地而起。■steppe step [countable, usually plural, uncountable] a large area of land that is covered with grass but has few trees, especially in SE Europe and Siberia(尤指东南欧和西伯利亚树少的)大草原,干草原◆The Cossacks are best known as the roving horsemen of the Russian steppes.哥萨克人以漂泊在俄罗斯草原的马背民族著称。■pampasˈpæmpəs, NAmE also ˈpæmpəz (usually the pampas通常作the pampas) [singular + singular or plural verb] the large area of land in South America that is covered in grass and has few trees(南美洲的)大草原,草甸◆The novel depicts life on the Argentine pampas.这部小说描写了阿根廷大草原的生活。plain2
adjective
a plain white shirt白衬衣the plain truth显而易见的事实➡ See also the entry for honest另见honest条plain ♦︎ simple ♦︎ stark ♦︎ bare ♦︎ unequivocal ♦︎ baldThese words are all used to describe facts and statements that are very clear and direct, especially when they are unpleasant in some way.这些词均表示直接的、明显的,尤用于令人不快的事实。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆the plain / simple / stark / bare / unequivocal / bald truth◆a plain / a simple / a stark / a bare / an unequivocal / a bald fact / statement◆a plain / a simple / an unequivocal answer■plainused to describe a fact that other people may not like to hear; honest and direct in way that other people may not like(事实)明显而令人不快的;坦白的;直接的◆The plain fact is that nobody really knows.事实很清楚:没有人真正了解。◆He's a politician with a reputation for plain speaking.他是说话直率出了名的政治人物。◆Let's be plain about this: we will need to make some difficult choices.我们还是直截了当地说吧:我们得作出艰苦的抉择。◆ (especially NAmE) He was a plain, straightforward sort of man.他这人很直率,从来不绕弯子。 see also plain ⇨ average, plain ⇨ clearadj.2▸plainly
adverb
◆To put it plainly, he's a crook.挑明了说吧,他是个骗子。■simple [only before noun] used to describe a fact that other people may not like to hear; very obvious and not complicated by anything else(事实)明显而令人不快的;简单易明的◆The simple truth is that we just can't afford it.明摆着,我们就是买不起。◆I had to do it for the simple reason that(= because) I couldn't trust anyone else.我之所以这么做,原因很简单,我信不过別人。◆It's a simple matter of giving them enough to eat.事情很简单,就是给他们足够吃的东西。▸simply
adverb
◆I don't want to be rude, it's simply that we have to be careful who we give this information to.我不想无礼,不过这信息到底给谁我们得谨慎。◆He was loud, vulgar and arrogant-quite simply the rudest man I've ever met!他说话粗声大气,举止粗俗傲慢-简直是我见过的最没教养的人!NOTE辨析 Plain or simple?When it is being used to emphasize facts that other people may not like to hear, plain is usually used in the expression the plain fact/truth is that...Simple can be used in this way too, but it can also be used in a wider variety of structures and collocations (such as with reason and matter). * plain强调他人不愿听到的事实时,通常用于the plain fact/truth is that ...。simple也可以这么用,但是结构和搭配用法更多,如与reason和matter搭配◆The problem was due to the simple fact that...问题源于一个简单的事实⋯◆The problem was due to the plain fact that...◆for the plain reason that...◆It's a plain matter of...Expressions with simple often suggest impatience with other people's behaviour. * simple构成的表达法常有对他人的行为不耐烦之意◆Nobody wanted to believe the simple truth(= it was easy to see and understand the true facts; people just didn't want to believe them).事实明摆着,就是没有人相信。■stark (especiallywritten, usuallydisapproving) used to describe an unpleasant fact or difference that is very obvious(事实)严酷的;(区别)鲜明的◆The government faced a stark choice between civil war and martial law.政府面临残酷的选择,内战还是戒严。◆Social divisions in the city are stark.城市里社会分化很明显。◆The good weather was in stark contrast to the storms of previous weeks.这好天气和前几周的暴风雨形成鲜明的对比。 see also sharp ⇨ marked▸starkly
adverb
◆These theories contrast starkly with the reality of everyday life.这些理论和日常生活现实形成鲜明对照。■bare [only before noun] the most basic or simple, with nothing extra最基本的;最简单的◆She gave me only the bare facts of the case.她只给我介绍了这一案件的基本情况。◆The family was short of even the bare necessities of life.这家人甚至没有最起码的生活所需。◆We only had the bare essentials in the way of equipment.我们只有最基本的设备。◆He did the bare minimum of work but still passed the exam.他只下了最少的功夫,但仍然通过了考试。■unequivocal ˌʌnɪˈkwɪvəkl (formal) expressing your opinion or intention very clearly and firmly表达明确的;毫不含糊的;斩钉截铁的◆She gave a typically unequivocal answer.她一如既往,回答得斩钉截铁。◆The reply was an unequivocal 'no'.回答是个干脆利落的“不”字。OPPequivocalⓘ An equivocal statement does not have one clear or definite meaning and can be understood in more than one way. * equivocal指意思含混的,因而可能有不同的理解。▸unequivocally
adverb
◆He stated unequivocally that he knew nothing about the document.他明确地说他对那份文件一无所知。■balddescribing a rather unpleasant fact or statement that is given without any extra explanation or detail to help you accept what is being said不加赘述的;简单的;赤裸裸的◆The bald fact is that we don't need you any longer.事实很简单,我们不再需要你了。◆The letter was a bald statement of our legal position.那封信直截了当地说明了我们的法律立场。ⓘ A bald fact is usually more unpleasant than a plain/simple fact, but not as unpleasant as a stark fact. * bald fact通常比plain/simple fact更让人不愉快,但是不及stark fact那样令人不快。