喜樂美語

核心畫面

Picture two wheels, one behind the other, joined by a frame, with pedals in the middle. Nothing moves unless your own legs push — the machine has no engine of its own, it only takes the power from your feet and turns it into forward motion. Bicycle can be thought of as the name for that whole arrangement, and the word carries the picture so completely that English lets it work as a verb too: to bicycle is simply to be the legs in that picture.

可以想成兩個輪子，一前一後，中間用車架接起來，腳踏板就在中間。它自己不會動，除非你的腿踩下去——這台車沒有引擎，它做…更多收起可以想成兩個輪子，一前一後，中間用車架接起來，腳踏板就在中間。它自己不會動，除非你的腿踩下去——這台車沒有引擎，它做的事只是把你腳上的力氣接過來，變成往前的移動。bicycle 可以想成就是在幫這一整套裝置取名字；而這個字裡的畫面又太完整了，所以英文乾脆讓它也能當動詞用：to bicycle 就是「當那台車裡出力的那雙腿」。

One branch

兩輪＋自己踩

先是那台車本身，再把同一個畫面當成動作用——名詞說「這是什麼」，動詞說「用它去哪裡」。

a bike · noun · A2

A machine you sit on and move by pushing pedals, balanced on two wheels.

腳踏車

原始詞典資料12 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。

bicyclenoun/ˈbaɪsɪk(ə)l/

  • 1

    A vehicle that has two primary wheels, one behind the other, a steering handle, and a saddle seat or seats and is usually propelled by the action of a rider’s feet upon pedals.

    • In most English villages, as we are informed, bicycles are not allowed on the sidewalks; and the hand-books issued by English manufacturers of bicycles caution their customers that it is a forbidden practice, while in many places bells have to be attached to the bicycles even when ridden in the streets.
  • 2

    Any similar vehicle powered by human pedaling or steered with a handlebar, regardless of the number of wheels.

    • The small, three-wheeled bicycle-type vehicle is probably the lowest-cost set of wheels for routine, in-park patrol use.
  • 3

    A traveling block used on a cable in skidding logs.

  • 4

    The best possible hand in lowball.

  • 5

    A motorbike.

  • 6

    vulgarslangA slut; a promiscuous woman.

    • ‘What sort of bullying does this sergeant go in for?’ ‘Character assassination,’ she said in a matter-of-fact tone that belied the very real difficulties it was causing her. ‘There’s a lot of whispering about slags and tarts behind my back and sniggers whenever I appear. Half of the men seem to think I’m a dyke who needs curing, the other half think I’m the platoon bicycle. [...]’
  • 7

    climbinghobbieslifestyleA stabilizing technique in which one foot is pushed down while the other is pulled up.

  • 8

    slangcard-gamespokerThe wheel: either the lowest straight (A-2-3-4-5) or the best low hand in Lowball or High-low poker.

另外 2 個記錄的用法
  • 9

    chemistrynatural-sciencesorganic-chemistryA bicyclic molecule.

  • 10

    biochemistrybiologychemistryTwo interconnected metabolic cycles.

    • The fumarate produced in the argininosuccinase reaction is also an intermediate of the citric acid cycle. Thus, the cycles are, in principle, interconnected — in a process dubbed the “Krebs bicycle”.

bicycleverb/ˈbaɪsɪk(ə)l/

  • 1

    To travel or exercise using a bicycle.

    • “At least it cannot be your health," said he, as his keen eyes darted over her; "so ardent a bicyclist must be full of energy.” […] “Yes, I bicycle a good deal, Mr. Holmes, and that has something to do with my visit to you to-day.”
  • 2

    historicalbroadcastingmediatelevisionTo physically ship (a recorded programme) to another broadcasting entity.

    • “Bicycling” defeated the possibility of topicality, a prime production habit of the network-trained production executives staffing the new entity.
    • In turn, two-inch tapes of these could be “bicycled” from one place to another across the country, thereby altering and improving production economies.

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。