核心畫面

One way to hold this word: a lot of water or gas squeezed into a narrow pipe, with nowhere to go. Open the end and it comes out fast and hard enough to strip mud off a wall. That picture is the word's plainest use, and the other uses put a person where the pipe was. A job can press on you the way the water presses on the pipe wall, steadily and with no let-up. A seller can aim that force at you until you agree, and when the pushing becomes the action itself the word turns into a verb.

可以想成一堆水或氣體被擠進一根細管子裡,沒有地方可以跑。一打開出口,就衝得又快又猛,猛到能把牆上的泥直接沖掉。這個畫更多收起可以想成一堆水或氣體被擠進一根細管子裡,沒有地方可以跑。一打開出口,就衝得又快又猛,猛到能把牆上的泥直接沖掉。這個畫面是這個字最直白的用法。其他用法則是把人放在管子的位置上。一份工作可以像那股水壓一樣一直壓著你,穩定而且不放鬆。推銷的人也可以把這股力量對準你,逼到你點頭。當這個「推」本身變成動作時,這個字就變成動詞。

Three branches

真的很高的壓力

這一支就是畫面本身:水、氣體、空氣被擠著,力量量得出來。

adjective · B1

Holding or using water, gas, or air that is pushed with great force, so it comes out fast and strong.

高壓的(水、氣體)

壓在人身上的高壓

把管壁換成人:工作一直壓著你,力道穩定不放鬆,所以緊繃的是處境,不是個性。

adjective · B2

Describing a job or a situation that keeps pushing you to work very hard and fast, so it stays tense and leaves little room to relax.

高壓的;壓力很大的

把壓力對準別人

同一股力量這次有了方向:不是壓在管壁上,而是對著一個人推,推到他答應為止。

adjective · B2

Used in expressions such as high-pressure sales, high-pressure selling and high-pressure tactics: ways of pushing people hard, and often successfully, into buying something.

強力推銷的