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Bedlam is a situation with a lot of noise, rushing about, and no one in control — a room so loud and messy that you cannot think. People often stretch it: a classroom before the bell, a market on a holiday, a when a big story breaks.
Bedlam is a situation with a lot of noise, rushing about, and no one in controlbedlam是一種吵鬧、大家跑來跑去、沒有人能控制場面的狀態 — a room so loud and messy that you cannot think吵鬧混亂到讓你根本沒辦法思考的房間。People often stretch it人們常常把這個字用得更廣: a classroom before the bell下課鐘響前的教室, a market on a holiday節日時的市場, a newsroom when a big story breaks大新聞爆出來時的新聞編輯室。
It is a colourful, slightly old-fashioned word, more at home in stories and complaints than in a careful report, though newspapers still like it. You usually say it was bedlam, not count it like a thing; a bedlam is possible but less common.
It is a colourful, slightly old-fashioned word這是一個生動、有點老派的字, more at home in stories and complaints than in a careful report比較常出現在故事和抱怨裡，而不是講究的報導中, though newspapers still like it不過報紙還是很愛用它。You usually say it was bedlam你通常會說『當時是bedlam』, not count it like a thing而不會把它當成可數的東西; a bedlam is possible but less common『a bedlam』這種說法也有，但比較少見。
Though actually the word began as a place-name, not a description. Bedlam was another name for Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, which cared for people with mental illness. Outsiders heard the shouting and disorder, and the hospital’s nickname slowly came to mean any scene of madness and chaos.
Though actually不過事實上 the word began as a place-name, not a description這個字一開始是個地名，而不是一種描述。Bedlam was another name for Bethlem Royal Hospital in LondonBedlam是倫敦Bethlem Royal Hospital（伯利恆皇家醫院）的另一個名字, which cared for people with mental illness這間醫院照顧的是精神疾病患者。Outsiders heard the shouting and disorder外面的人聽到裡面的喊叫和混亂, and the hospital’s nickname slowly came to mean any scene of madness and chaos這間醫院的綽號就慢慢變成用來指任何瘋狂混亂的場面。
Nobody uses it for that hospital in ordinary talk now; the living meaning is the noisy mess.
Nobody uses it for that hospital in ordinary talk now現在日常說話已經沒有人用這個字來指那間醫院了; the living meaning is the noisy mess它現在活著的意思就是吵鬧混亂。
組成From Bedlam, an old nickname of Bethlem Royal Hospital in London (a royal hospital from 1375, a hospital for mental illness from 1403; earlier a hospice from 1329, and a priory from 1247). People then used the name for a place or situation of madness and chaos. Bedlam as the hospital’s name is recorded from 1450. The sound is a worn-down form of Bethlem, itself a worn-down form of Bethlehem, the Biblical town; that came from Ancient Greek Βηθλεέμ (Bēthleém), from Biblical Hebrew בֵּית לֶחֶם (bêṯ leḥem), literally “house of bread”.
同家族的字
- BethlehemBedlam is a worn-down English form of the same name
原始詞典資料7 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。
Bedlamname/ˈbɛdləm/
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A hamlet in Clint cum Hamlets parish, Harrogate borough, North Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref SE2661).
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A hamlet in Bitterley parish, south Shropshire, England (OS grid ref SO5877).
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A hamlet in Great Elm parish, Mendip district, Somerset, England (OS grid ref ST7549).
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informalBethlem Royal Hospital, a famous psychiatric hospital, now located in Bromley, South London.
bedlamnoun/ˈbɛdləm/
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A place or situation of chaotic uproar, and where confusion prevails.
- Some of the wards were veritable "bedlams," and discharged patients have told of abuses practiced in them of which the mere recital causes a shudder.
- The outside of the Hyatt was bedlam. There was a group of more than a hundred injured people on the circular drive in front of the hotel.
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obsoleteAn insane person; a lunatic; a madman.
- Lets follow the old Earle, and get the bedlom To lead him where he would, his rogiſh madnes Allows it ſelfe to any thing.
- Firſt, The Pilgrims were cloathed with ſuch kind of Raiment, as was diverſe from the Raiment of any that Traded in that fair. The people therefore of the fair made a great gazing upon them: Some ſaid they were Fools, ſome they were Bedlams, and ſome they are Outlandiſh-men.
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obsoleteA lunatic asylum; a madhouse.
- It was a ſhrewd ſaying of the old Monk, That two kind of Priſons would ſerve for all offenders in the World, an Inquiſition and a Bedlam: If any man ſhould deny the Being of a God and the Immortality of the Soul, ſuch a one ſhould be put into the firſt of these, the Inquiſition, as being a deſperate Heretick; but if any man ſhould profeſs to believe theſe things, and yet allow himſelf in any known wickedneſs, ſuch a one ſhould be put into Bedlam; becauſe there cannot be a greater folly and madneſs, than for a man in matters of greateſt moment and concernment to act againſt his beſt Reaſon and Underſtanding, and by his Life to contradict his Belief.
- Shut up the world at large, let Bedlam out; And you will be perhaps surprised to find All things pursue exactly the same route, As now with those of soi-disant sound mind.
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。