喜樂美語

核心畫面

You can picture potential as a force that is folded up inside something, not yet released — a stretched bow, a spring, a seed. It isn't acting yet, but the power to become or to happen is already loaded in there, waiting for the right moment.

可以想成藏在東西裡、還沒釋放出來的一股力量——像拉滿的弓、壓緊的彈簧、一顆種子。它現在還沒動作、還沒成真，但「將來會…更多收起可以想成藏在東西裡、還沒釋放出來的一股力量——像拉滿的弓、壓緊的彈簧、一顆種子。它現在還沒動作、還沒成真，但「將來會變成什麼、會發生什麼」的那股勁，早就已經蓄在裡面，等著被放出來。

Two branches

尚未實現的可能（形容詞）

形容詞這一面，就是把核心畫面當成標籤貼在某個東西上：說它「力量已蓄好、但還沒成真」。

possible in future · adjective · B2

Possible but not yet real — likely to become a certain kind of person or thing in the future.

潛在的 / 可能的

潛力 · 可能性（名詞）

名詞這一面，是把那股蓄著的力量本身當成一個東西來談——它能不能放出來、放出來有多大。

future chance · noun · B2

The chance that something will grow, happen, or have an effect in the future.

可能性 / 潛力

原始詞典資料9 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。

potentialnoun/pəˈtɛnʃəl/

  • 1

    A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).

    • Even from a young age it was clear that she had the potential to become a great musician.
    • Comrades, our own fleet doesn't know our full potential. They will do everything possible to test us, but they will only test their own embarrassment.
  • 2

    natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsThe gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field.

  • 3

    natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsThe work (energy) required to move a reference particle from a reference location to a specified location in the presence of a force field, for example to bring a unit positive electric charge from an infinite distance to a specified point against an electric field.

  • 4

    grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsA verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable.

potentialadj/pəˈtɛnʃəl/

  • 1

    Existing in possibility, not in actuality.

    • The heroic man,—and is not every man, God be thanked, a potential hero?—has to do so, in all times and circumstances.
  • 2

    archaicBeing potent; endowed with energy adequate to a result

    • And hath, in his effect, a voice potential
  • 3

    natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsirrotational

    • From Maxwell equations (6.20) it follows that the electric field is potential: E(r) = −gradφ(r).
  • 4

    natural-sciencesphysical-sciencesphysicsirrotational (see potential flow on Wikipedia)

    • The non-viscous flow of the vacuum should be potential (irrotational).
  • 5

    grammarhuman-scienceslinguisticsReferring to a verbal construction of form stating something is possible or probable.

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。