be‧gin‧ning S1 W2 / bɪɡɪnɪŋ / 名词 [可数名词，通常单数]

1 the start or first part of an event, story, period of time etc

beginning of

She’s been here since the beginning of the year.

There’s a short poem at the beginning of every chapter.

From the beginning of my career as a journalist, I’ve been writing about gender issues.

I thought he loved me; perhaps he did in the beginning .

That chance meeting marked the beginning of a long and happy relationship.

This is just the beginning of a new and different life for you.

I said he would cause trouble, right from the beginning .

I opposed it from the very beginning .

The whole trip was a disaster from beginning to end .

I feel like I’ve been offered a new beginning .

Could we start at the beginning ? Tell me where you first met him.

2 beginnings [复数形式] the early signs or stages of something that later develops into something bigger or more important

beginnings of

I think I have the beginnings of a cold.

from humble/small beginnings

He rose from humble beginnings to great wealth.

3 the beginning of the end the time when something good starts to end

COLLOCATIONS

形容词

a new beginning The country needed a new government and a new beginning.

动词

mark the beginning of something ( also signal/herald the beginning of something ) (= show that something is starting to happen ) This event marked the beginning of a ten-year worldwide depression.

see the beginning of something (= be the time when something important starts to happen ) The 1970s saw the beginning of a technological revolution.

短语

right at/from the beginning (= used for emphasis ) That’s what I suggested right at the beginning.

at/from the very beginning (= used for emphasis ) He had been lying to me from the very beginning.

start at the beginning (= start a story or activity at the first part ) Just start at the beginning and tell us exactly what happened.

from beginning to end The whole project was full of problems from beginning to end.

something is just/only the beginning (= used to emphasize that many more things will happen ) Signing the contract is just the beginning of a long process.

THESAURUS

beginning the first part of something such as a story, event, or period of time : The beginning of the movie is very violent. | Let’s go back to the beginning.

start the beginning of something, or the way something begins : Tomorrow marks the start of the presidential election campaign. | It was not a good start to the day. | The runners lined up for the start of the race.

commencement formal the beginning of something – used especially in official contexts : the commencement of the academic year | the commencement of the contract

origin the point from which something starts to exist : He wrote a book about the origins of the universe. | The tradition has its origins in medieval times.

the onset of something the time when something bad begins, such as illness, old age, or cold weather : the onset of winter | An active lifestyle can delay the onset of many diseases common to aging.

dawn literary the beginning of an important period of time in history : People have worshipped gods since the dawn of civilization.

birth the beginning of something important that will change many people’s lives : the birth of democracy in South Africa | the birth of the environmental movement