短语 1 S3 W3 / freɪz / 名词 [可数名词]

1 a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion :

Who first used the 短语 ‘survival of the fittest’?

Shakespeare’s plays are full of well-known 短语 .

2 technical a group of words without a finite 动词 , especially when they are used to form part of a sentence, such as ‘walking along the road’ and ‘a bar of soap’ → clause ( 2 ) , sentence 1 ( 1 )

3 a short group of musical notes that is part of a longer piece

→ to coin a 短语 at coin 2 ( 2 ) , → a turn of 短语 at turn 2 ( 11 ) , → turn a 短语 at turn 1 ( 20 )

COLLOCATIONS

形容词

a famous/well-known 短语 We all hear the 短语 “greenhouse gasses”, but do you know what it really means?

a memorable 短语 Who was it who used that memorable 短语 “a monumental error of judgement”?

a colourful 短语 (= interesting or rude ) His conversation is full of colourful 短语 .

a well-turned 短语 (= skilfully invented or chosen ) She creates lifelike characters with a few well-turned 短语 .

THESAURUS

短语 a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together, or which someone uses on a particular occasion : What was the 短语 he used to describe her? | I’ve never heard of the 短语 before. | The President often used the 短语 ‘War on terror’.

expression a fixed 短语 which is used in a language and has a particular meaning : a colloquial expression (= an informal expression used in everyday spoken language ) | The old-fashioned expression ‘in the family way’ means pregnant. | a common English expression | I was absolutely knackered, if you’ll pardon the expression (= used when you think someone might be offended by the words you have used ) .

idiom a group of words that has a special meaning which you cannot guess from the meanings of each separate word : ‘Under the weather’ is an idiom which means ‘ill’.

cliché a 短语 that is boring and no longer original because people use it a lot : The 短语 ‘at the end of the day’ has become a real cliché. | There is some truth in the old cliché that time is a great healer.

saying/pro 动词 a well-known 短语 that gives advice about life : Do you know the saying ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’? | There is an old Chinese pro 动词 which states ‘A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step’.

slogan a short 短语 that is easy to remember, especially one that is used in advertising : advertising slogans | Protesters were shouting anti-government slogans.

motto a 短语 that expresses a person’s or organization’s beliefs and aims : The school motto was ‘Truth and Honour’.