Witch hazel is a clear liquid you put on your skin. People use it on small cuts, insect bites, spots, sunburn, and after shaving. It cools the skin and makes it tighten a little, so redness and swelling go down. You buy it cheaply at a pharmacy, and it has a faint, medicine-like smell.

Witch hazel is a clear liquid you put on your skinWitch hazel 是一種你會擦在皮膚上的透明液體。People use it on small cuts, insect bites, spots, sunburn, and after shaving大家會用在小傷口、蟲咬、青春痘、曬傷，還有刮鬍子之後。It cools the skin and makes it tighten a little它會讓皮膚感覺涼涼的，並讓皮膚稍微收斂, so redness and swelling go down讓紅腫消退。You buy it cheaply at a pharmacy你可以在藥局便宜買到, and it has a faint, medicine-like smell它有一股淡淡的、有點像藥的味道。

The same name is used for the plant it comes from — a small tree or large bush that, oddly, flowers in the middle of winter with thin yellow petals like torn paper. So 'witch hazel' can mean the bottle or the bush, and you tell which from the sentence: 'Put some witch hazel on it' is the liquid; 'We planted a witch hazel by the gate' is the plant.

The same name is used for the plant it comes from這個名字也用來指它的來源植物 — a small tree or large bush that, oddly, flowers in the middle of winter一種小樹或大灌木，奇怪的是它會在隆冬時開花, with thin yellow petals like torn paper花瓣細細黃黃的，像撕破的紙。So 'witch hazel' can mean the bottle or the bush所以「witch hazel」可以指那瓶液體，也可以指那棵植物, and you tell which from the sentence你要從句子判斷是哪一個: 'Put some witch hazel on it' is the liquid「Put some witch hazel on it」講的是液體; 'We planted a witch hazel by the gate' is the plant「We planted a witch hazel by the gate」講的是植物。

It is an uncountable noun when you mean the liquid — 'some witch hazel', never 'a witch hazel'. When you mean the plant, it becomes countable: 'a witch hazel', 'two witch hazels'.

It is an uncountable noun when you mean the liquid當你講的是液體時，它是不可數名詞 — 'some witch hazel', never 'a witch hazel'要說「some witch hazel」，不會說「a witch hazel」。When you mean the plant, it becomes countable當你講的是植物時，它就變成可數名詞: 'a witch hazel', 'two witch hazels'可以說「a witch hazel」、「two witch hazels」。

One thing worth knowing for Taiwanese students: in Britain and America witch hazel is an ordinary household thing, the sort of bottle that sits in a bathroom cupboard for years, a bit like 綠油精 here. In Taiwan you are more likely to meet the word on the label of a Western toner or aftershave than to hear anyone say it.

One thing worth knowing for Taiwanese students有件事值得台灣學生知道: in Britain and America witch hazel is an ordinary household thing在英美，witch hazel 是家家戶戶都有的日常用品, the sort of bottle that sits in a bathroom cupboard for years那種在浴室櫃子裡一放就是好幾年的瓶子, a bit like 綠油精 here有點像台灣的綠油精。In Taiwan you are more likely to meet the word on the label of a Western toner or aftershave在台灣你比較可能是在西方化妝水或鬍後水的成分標籤上看到這個詞, than to hear anyone say it而不是聽到有人說出來。