- 1
'Urbane' describes a person — usually an adult, and traditionally a man — who is smooth, calm and comfortable around other people, especially in polite or grown-up social situations: parties, dinners, meetings, interviews. An urbane person knows what to say, says it lightly, is a little funny, is never awkward, and never seems nervous or rough. Behind the word is a picture of someone who has lived in cities, read books, travelled, met many kinds of people — so nothing surprises them.
'Urbane'「urbane」這個字 describes a person是用來形容一個人 — usually an adult通常是成年人, and traditionally a man而且傳統上是指男性 — who is smooth, calm and comfortable around other people在別人面前表現得圓融、從容、自在, especially in polite or grown-up social situations尤其是在有禮貌的、大人式的社交場合: parties, dinners, meetings, interviews派對、晚宴、會議、面試。An urbane personAn urbane person(這樣的人) knows what to say知道該說什麼, says it lightly講起來又輕鬆自然, is a little funny帶點幽默感, is never awkward從不會顯得尷尬, and never seems nervous or rough也從不會顯得緊張或粗魯。Behind the word這個字的背後 is a picture of someone who has lived in cities是一個曾在城市裡生活過的人的形象, read books讀過書, travelled旅行過, met many kinds of people見過各種各樣的人 — so所以 nothing surprises them什麼事都嚇不倒他們。
It is a formal, word. You will meet it much more in novels, film reviews and newspapers than in daily talk; if you said it to a friend at lunch, it would sound slightly grand.
It is a formal, bookish word這是一個正式、有書卷氣的字。You will meet it much more in novels, film reviews and newspapers你會在小說、影評和報紙裡更常遇到它 than in daily talk而不是在日常對話裡; if you said it to a friend at lunch如果你在午餐時跟朋友這樣說, it would sound slightly grand聽起來會有點誇張/裝腔作勢。
It is usually a compliment, but not always a warm one: a writer may call a man urbane to hint that he is all polished surface, charming on the outside with nothing much, or something cold, underneath. So watch the sentence around it.
It is usually a compliment這通常是一句稱讚, but not always a warm one但不一定是溫暖的那種: a writer作者 may call a man urbane可能會說一個男人urbane to hint that他是暗示 he is all polished surface他只有光鮮的表面, charming on the outside with nothing much外表迷人、內在卻沒什麼料, or something cold, underneath或是骨子裡其實有點冷淡。So所以 watch the sentence around it要留意它周圍的句子在說什麼。
Common partners: an urbane manner, an urbane charm, an urbane host, urbane and witty, smooth and urbane.
Common partners常見的搭配: an urbane mannerurbane manner(優雅從容的舉止), an urbane charmurbane charm(優雅的魅力), an urbane hosturbane host(從容得體的主人), urbane and wittyurbane and witty(優雅又機智), smooth and urbanesmooth and urbane(圓融優雅)。
組成A variant of 'urban' + '-ane' (a form of '-an', meaning 'having to do with'). 'Urban' comes through French from Latin urbānus 'belonging to a city; polished, refined', from urbs 'city'. The idea: city people were thought to have smoother manners than country people.
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。
urbaneadj/ɜːˈbeɪn/
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Of a person (usually a man): having refined manners; courteous, polite, suave.
- We took advantage of our acquaintance with the urbane Frenchman to join his party; the conversation turned almost entirely on literary subjects.
- Newman, at this juncture, fell to admiring the duchess for her fine manners. He felt, most accurately, that she was not a grain less urbane than she would have been if his marriage were still in prospect; but he felt also that she was not a particle more urbane.
- 2
Of an act, expression, etc.: suited to a person of refined manners; elegant, sophisticated.
- He [Yusuf I of Granada] had an excellent memory, well stored with science and erudition; he was of a lively genius, and accounted the best poet of his time, and his manners were gentle, affable, and urbane.
- The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvellous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills, and that on no account can a monied man enter heaven. Ah! how cheerfully we consign ourselves to perdition!
這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形:
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。