認識的那個人／那段關係
淺水區的兩種看法：站在裡面的人，和那片水本身。
person you know slightly · noun · C1
Someone you know a little and sometimes see, but who is not a close friend.
熟人
核心畫面
Knowing someone or something a little — enough to recognise it, not enough to say you really know it. Think of the shallow end of knowing: you have met, you can nod in the street, but you have not gone deep.
認識的「淺水區」。你們見過、叫得出名字、路上遇到會點個頭，但也就到這裡——沒有更深。acquaintance 這個字…更多收起
認識的「淺水區」。你們見過、叫得出名字、路上遇到會點個頭，但也就到這裡——沒有更深。acquaintance 這個字整組意思都圍著這條淺線打轉：可以指站在那條線上的那個人（熟人），也可以指那條關係本身（交情），還可以指你對一門學問只摸到表面的那種了解。它跟 friend 的差別不在喜不喜歡，而在深不深。From the word’s history
From Old French acointance 'familiarity, friendship', from acointier 'to make known, to acquaint'. The idea underneath is simply having been made known to someone.
來自古法文 acointance（熟識、往來），源自 acointier「使認識、引見」。所以這個字的底層動作比較像「被引見過」——有人把你介紹給對方，從此你們彼此「知道」了。這就解釋了為什麼它天生停在淺處：被引見只是關係的起點，不保證後面有深交。
Wiktionary, 'acquaintance' (from Middle English aqueyntaunce, from Anglo-Norman/Old French acointance, from acointier 'to acquaint')
Three branches
對事物的初步了解
把「認識一個人」的淺線搬到「認識一門東西」上——同樣是碰過、摸過，但不見得通。
knowledge of a subject · noun · C1
Knowledge or experience of a subject, which may be only a little, or enough to do a job.
認識／熟悉
固定說法裡的 acquaintance
同一條淺線，但被鎖進固定片語，只在整組字一起出現時才活著。
make somebody's acquaintance · noun · C1
To meet someone for the first time, in the phrase make somebody's acquaintance.
結識
原始詞典資料4 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
acquaintancenoun/əˈkweɪntəns/
- 1
A state of being acquainted with a person; originally indicating friendship, intimacy, but now suggesting a slight knowledge less deep than that of friendship; acquaintanceship.
- I know of the man; but have no acquaintance with him.
- Contract no friendſhip, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man : he reſembles a coal, which when hot burneth the hand, and when cold blacketh it.
- 2
A person or persons with whom one is acquainted.
- Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson.
- 3
Such people collectively; one's circle of acquaintances (with plural concord).
- Having therefore conſulted with my Wife, and ſome of my Acquaintance, I determined to go again to Sea.
- Their mother […] was busy in the mean time in keeping up her connections, as she termed a numerous acquaintance, lest her girls should want a proper introduction into the great world.
- 4
Personal knowledge (with a specific subject etc.).
- The words of these songs were either without meaning, or derived from an idiom with which Watt, a very fair linguist, had no acquaintance.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。