喜樂美語
  1. 1

    In the middle — average in size, quality, or how good someone is at something. It is a slightly old, homey, spoken word, and it almost always carries a small shrug of disappointment.

    In the middle在中間 — average in size, quality, or how good someone is at something在大小、品質，或某人做某件事的好壞上都算普通、一般。 It is這 a slightly old, homey, spoken word一個有點老派、家常、口語的詞, and it almost always carries a small shrug of disappointment而且幾乎總是帶著一點小小的失望聳肩。

    'A middling student' is not a compliment; 'middling weather' means grey and not very nice; 'his singing was middling' means it was fine and you would not go again. So it is closer to 'so-so' or 'nothing special' than to a neutral 'medium'.

    'A middling student'「A middling student」 is not a compliment不是稱讚; 'middling weather' means grey and not very nice「middling weather」是說天氣陰陰的、不怎麼好; 'his singing was middling' means it was fine and you would not go again「his singing was middling」是說唱得普通，你不會想再去聽第二次。 So it is closer to 'so-so' or 'nothing special'所以它比較接近「so-so（馬馬虎虎）」或「沒什麼特別的」 than to a neutral 'medium'而不是中性的「medium」。

    There is a very common set phrase, 'fair to middling', which is a friendly answer to 'How are you?' — meaning 'all right, not great', said with a smile, and heard especially from older speakers and in Britain, Ireland and the American South.

    There is a very common set phrase有一個很常見的固定說法, 'fair to middling'「fair to middling」, which is a friendly answer to 'How are you?'是對「How are you?」的一種友善回答 — meaning 'all right, not great'意思是「還可以，不算好」, said with a smile笑著說的, and heard especially from older speakers and in Britain, Ireland and the American South尤其常聽到年紀較大的人講，或是在英國、愛爾蘭和美國南方。

    Middling can also work as an adverb before another describing word ('a middling large town', 'middling good'), but that use is regional and old-fashioned; do not copy it in writing. In business or measurements, use 'medium' or 'average' instead — 'middling' will sound odd in a report, though 'middling quality' is used in some for a real, level of goods.

    Middling can also work as an adverb before another describing word middling 也可以當副詞放在另一個形容詞前面 ('a middling large town', 'middling good')（像「a middling large town」、「middling good」）, but that use is regional and old-fashioned但這種用法有地區性又老派; do not copy it in writing寫作時不要模仿。 In business or measurements在商業或量測的場合, use 'medium' or 'average' instead改用「medium」或「average」 — 'middling' will sound odd in a report「middling」放在報告裡會顯得怪怪的, though 'middling quality' is used in some trades for a real, graded level of goods不過「middling quality」在某些行業裡是真的用來指一個有分級的品質等級。

    例句逐字對照、搭配詞、易混淆字

    這一義的完整解析還沒打開。訂閱後可以看到例句怎麼拆、常跟哪些字一起出現， 以及容易跟它搞混的字。

    看看訂閱內容

組成middle (中間) + -ing。先有名詞，後來才變成形容詞，再變成副詞。加了 -ing 之後語氣變得口語、隨意，不像 medium 那麼中性。

同家族的字

  • middlethe same 'middle' with -ing added
  • middle-agedsame 'middle' — between young and old

原始詞典資料6 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。

middlingadj/ˈmɪdlɪŋ/

  • 1

    Of intermediate or average size, position, or quality; mediocre.

    • The football team is never the worst or best in its league; its position is always middling.
    • […] I cannot think it unreaſonable, […] to imagin the ſame natural cauſes may ſometimes act in t'other extreme likewiſe, and model Humane Bodies from a peculiar Energy in the ſeminal Principles, or a more perfect and through concoction in the Stomach, and other Viſcera, whence may proceed a peculiar and extraordinary nutritive faculty in the humours, for the furthering augmentation; or ſtill from ſome other more latent Spring, or ſecret Influence, to ariſe to ſuch a growth as fully to equal twice the heighth of (what we may then properly call) a middling ſtature, taking the word in the moſt ſtrict ſenſe.
  • 2

    regionalIn fairly good health.

    • I am in a middling Way, between Healthy and Sick, hardly ever without a little Giddineſs or Deafneſs, and ſometimes both: So much for that.
    • “And how’s that chest of yours?” demanded Mrs. Morel. / He smiled again, with his blue eyes rather sunny. / “Oh, it’s very middlin’,” he said.

middlingadv/ˈmɪdlɪŋ/

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    regionalFairly, moderately, somewhat.

    • St. Jerom ſeated, a middling ſized upright plate, from J. Palma, dated 1596. I think this is one of the fineſt prints by this great maſter. The drawing is admirable, and the engraving is executed with the utmoſt freedom.
    • Iwami, otherwise Sekisju, is two days journey long, going from ſouth to north, a middling good country, producing plenty of cannib, and affording ſome ſalt.
  • 2

    regionalNot too badly, with modest success.

middlingnoun/ˈmɪdlɪŋ/

  • 1

    Something of intermediate or average size, position, or quality.

    • Middlings are less likely to adopt worker commitment than are Leaders, but the two groups are equally likely to adopt organisational responsibility. […] Middlings have not been able to effectively implement innovative environmental programmes and proactive social programmes.
  • 2

    Something of intermediate or average size, position, or quality.

    • The war had been significantly financed by the poor and the middling, who purchased bonds that quickly devalued from wartime inflation; debt speculators had bought much of this debt at a fraction of the original cost.

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。