核心畫面

Picture butter melting in a pan: the cloudy bits rise and are lifted off, and what is left is clear enough to see through. That is the word in its most physical form — take out what is muddying it. An explanation gets the same treatment: the muddy points are dealt with one by one until you can see through to the meaning.

可以想成:奶油在鍋裡融開,混濁的雜質浮上來被撈掉,剩下的變得清澈到可以看透。這是這個字最具體的樣子——把讓它變濁的東更多收起可以想成:奶油在鍋裡融開,混濁的雜質浮上來被撈掉,剩下的變得清澈到可以看透。這是這個字最具體的樣子——把讓它變濁的東西拿掉。說明一件事也是同樣的處理:把幾個模糊的地方一個一個挑出來講清楚,直到對方可以一眼看到底。

From the picture

把話講到可以看透

同一個動作搬到說明上:模糊的地方就是雜質,把它們一一處理掉,意思就清楚了。所以 clarify 通常不是整段重講,而是針對幾個點補說明。

explain clearly · verb · C1

To make something clearer or easier to understand, often by explaining a few points more carefully.

澄清;闡明

Also in this word

clarify butter · verb · C1

To make a liquid, especially butter or oil, cleaner and purer by heating it so that unwanted bits can be taken away.

澄清(加熱去除雜質)

原始詞典資料3 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。

clarifyverb/ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪ/

  • 1

    To make or become clear or bright by freeing from impurities or turbidity.

    • What's the best way to clarify cooking oil?
    • Leave the wine for 24 hours and it will clarify.
  • 2

    To make or become clear or easily understood; to explain or resolve in order to remove doubt or obscurity.

    • Please clarify what you mean by this.
    • Over time, the situation gradually clarified.
  • 3

    obsoleteTo glorify.

資料來源:英文維基詞典 English WiktionaryCC BY-SA 4.0)。 原文照列,未經改寫。