egg
egg — 名詞
1. an oval food from chickens or other birds; its firm outer covering is cracked op
蛋；雞蛋
鳥類（尤指雞）產的橢圓形食物
an oval food from chickens or other birds; its firm outer covering is cracked open when people cook and eat it
Quinn cracked two eggs into the frying pan for breakfast before school.
Quinn 在煎鍋裡打了兩顆蛋，準備上學前當早餐。
crack + number + egg(s) for cooking
Maja boiled an egg and sliced it over her salad for lunch.
Maja 煮了一顆蛋，切片放在沙拉上當午餐。
The recipe needs three large eggs and a cup of flour to make the cake.
食譜需要三顆大蛋和一杯麵粉來做蛋糕。
recipe instruction with quantity
Salma bought a dozen eggs at the farm stand to bake her mother a birthday cake.
Salma 在農場攤位買了一打蛋，要幫媽媽烤生日蛋糕。
a dozen eggs — common purchase quantity
Kevin put the hard-boiled egg in cold water so the shell came off easily.
Kevin 把水煮蛋放進冷水裡，這樣蛋殼比較好剝。
- fry/scramble/boil/poach an egg
- egg white
- egg yolk
- dozen eggs
- free-range eggs
- hard-boiled egg
2. the rounded container, often with a shell, that a female bird, reptile, insect,
卵
雌性動物產下、內含胚胎的蛋
the rounded container, often with a shell, that a female bird, reptile, insect, or fish produces, inside which a baby animal grows until it is ready to come out
The mother turtle laid her eggs in the sand and then returned to the sea.
母海龜把蛋產在沙灘上，然後回到了海裡。
lay eggs — of animals
Hyun watched the butterfly eggs on the leaf turn into tiny caterpillars over two weeks.
Hyun 觀察樹葉上的蝴蝶卵在兩週內變成了小毛毛蟲。
The zookeeper checked the temperature in the incubator where the snake eggs were kept warm.
動物管理員檢查了保溫箱的溫度，蛇卵在裡面保持溫暖。
Tariro explained how birds sit on eggs until the chicks hatch out.
Tariro 解釋鳥類如何坐在蛋上直到小鳥破殼而出。
sit on / hatch eggs — incubation process
- lay an egg
- hatch an egg
- egg shell
- egg nest
- incubate eggs
- clutch of eggs
- spawn
used specifically for fish, frogs, and other aquatic animals that lay many small eggs at once
用法筆記
Used for birds, reptiles, insects, fish, and amphibians. Most mammals do not lay eggs — their young develop inside the mother's body.
常見錯誤
3. a decorative or ornamental item that looks like a bird's egg, often made of choc
蛋形物
做成鳥蛋形狀的裝飾品
a decorative or ornamental item that looks like a bird's egg, often made of chocolate, wood, stone, or metal
The children decorated chocolate eggs with colourful wrappers for Easter.
孩子們用彩色包裝紙裝飾巧克力蛋來慶祝復活節。
chocolate eggs as Easter treat
Asher brought back a carved wooden egg from Japan and set it on his desk.
Asher 從日本帶回一個木雕蛋，放在書桌上。
Sirin discovered a small jade egg in her grandmother's jewellery box among old brooches.
Sirin 在祖母的首飾盒深處發現了一顆小玉蛋，藏在舊胸針之間。
The museum shop sold tiny golden eggs for twenty dollars each as souvenirs.
博物館商店以二十美元的價格出售小金蛋，觀光客買來當紀念品。
- chocolate egg
- Easter egg
- carved egg
- decorated egg
- ornament
broader term; an egg-shaped object is a type of ornament
用法筆記
Often used for decorative items, especially chocolate eggs at Easter, or carved ornaments made from stone, metal, or wood.
常見錯誤
4. a tiny cell inside a female person or animal that can join with a sperm from a m
卵子
雌性生殖細胞，可與精子結合
a tiny cell inside a female person or animal that can join with a sperm from a male to begin forming a baby
Ms. Okonkwo showed the class a diagram of how a woman releases one egg each month.
Okonkwo 老師用圖表向全班講解女性每個月如何排出一顆卵子。
biological term — female reproductive cell
Dr. Antonia showed Imran how the egg meets a sperm cell under a microscope.
Antonia 醫生用顯微鏡影像向 Imran 展示卵子如何在受精過程中與精子結合。
Sana showed her biology class how an egg travels through the fallopian tube after ovulation.
Sana 在生物課上講解卵子排卵後如何通過輸卵管。
concrete classroom scenario — diagram explanation
Dr. Gabriel explained to Tariq how a sperm cell enters an egg during fertilisation.
Gabriel 醫生向 Tariq 解釋精子如何在受精過程中進入卵子。
clinic consultation — patient explanation
- release an egg
- fertilise an egg
- egg cell
- egg donor
- egg retrieval
- sperm
the male reproductive cell that joins with the egg
用法筆記
Formal term in biology and medicine. In everyday conversation, people usually say 'egg' in the food sense (noun sense 1), not this biological sense.
常見錯誤
5. a way of describing someone's character, used in informal expressions where 'goo
傢伙
形容某人好或壞的品格（非正式）
a way of describing someone's character, used in informal expressions where 'good egg' means a trustworthy or kind person and 'bad egg' means an untrustworthy or unpleasant one
Lend him the money — he is a good egg and will pay you back.
借錢給他吧——他是個好人，會還你錢的。
good egg — trustworthy person
Everyone knew the new manager was a bad egg who could not be trusted.
大家都知道新任主管是個壞蛋，根本靠不住。
bad egg — untrustworthy person
People call Mr. Santos a decent old egg because he always helps carry shopping bags upstairs.
大家都說 Santos 先生是個不錯的老傢伙，因為他總是幫忙提購物袋上樓。
Tanvi's classmates called her a good egg because she never let anyone down.
Tanvi 的同學都說她是個好人，因為她從不讓人失望。
- good egg
- bad egg
- decent egg
- old egg
用法筆記
Always used with a modifier such as 'good', 'bad', 'decent', or 'old'. You cannot say 'He is an egg' to mean any person.
常見錯誤
6. a final result in ice hockey where neither team has managed to score any goals,
零分
冰球比賽雙方均未得分的結果
a final result in ice hockey where neither team has managed to score any goals, shown as zero to zero on the scoreboard
In the final ice hockey match, neither team scored and the game ended in an egg.
在最後一場冰球比賽中，兩隊都沒有進球，比賽以零分收場。
egg — zero-zero score in ice hockey
Fans left the stadium frustrated after the final whistle confirmed an egg on the scoreboard.
球迷在終場哨聲確認記分板掛蛋後，沮喪地離開了體育場。
Both goalies played well, but neither team scored, and the match finished as an egg.
兩位守門員都表現得很好，但兩隊都沒有進球，比賽以零分收場。
Fans joked that the scoreboard showed a big zero shaped like an egg after the boring ice hockey game.
球迷開玩笑說，那場沉悶的冰球賽後記分板上有個像蛋的零分。
- end in an egg
- break the egg
用法筆記
Only used in ice hockey. Not used for other sports; a score of 0-0 in football or basketball is called a draw or a tie.
常見錯誤
egg on
phrasal verbto encourage someone to do something, especially something unwise or risky, often by cheering or applying pressure
慫恿；煽動
Asher's friends egged him on to jump into the cold river, and he finally did it.
The crowd kept egging the speaker on, cheering every time she raised her voice.
to depend completely on one single plan or idea for success, taking a big risk because there is no backup if it fails
孤注一擲
Amihan applied to only one university, and her father warned her not to put all her eggs in one basket.
Tomas put all his savings into his cousin's restaurant — his mother warned him that was putting all his eggs in one basket.
to look foolish or feel embarrassed because something you said or predicted turned out to be wrong
出醜；丟臉
Kevin predicted the team would win easily, but after the loss he had egg on his face.
The weather reporter said it would be sunny, and now with this storm she has egg on her face.
to ruin something that regularly provides you with money or benefits by being greedy or making a short-sighted decision
殺雞取卵
By raising the rent so high, the landlord killed the goose that laid the golden eggs — now all the shops are empty.
A situation where it is unclear which of two things caused the other.
雞生蛋蛋生雞的情況
Mia and Tom's argument was a chicken-and-egg problem about who started it.
Is poverty a cause or effect of crime? That's a chicken-and-egg situation.
the/a curate’s egg
idiomSomething that has both good and bad qualities.
好壞參半的事物
Sara described the movie as a curate's egg, with great acting but a weak plot.
The new policy is a curate's egg: it helps small businesses but hurts the environment.
a good/bad egg
idiomA person who is considered reliable or unreliable based on their character.
好人/壞人
Everyone trusts Diego because he is a good egg who always keeps his promises.
After he lied to us, we realized he was a bad egg and avoided him.
To be embarrassed because something you did or predicted went wrong.
丟臉
Brian had egg on his face when his weather forecast was completely wrong.
The CEO was left with egg all over his face after the product launch failed.
To ruin a reliable source of income or success by being greedy or careless.
殺雞取卵
By overfishing, the company killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.
If you raise prices too high, you'll kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
Used to emphasize that something is absolutely certain to happen or be true.
千真萬確
As sure as eggs is eggs, the sun will rise tomorrow morning.
He'll be late again, as sure as eggs is eggs.
To give advice to someone who is more experienced than you.
班門弄斧
Trying to explain cooking to Chef Ana is like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.
Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs; she has been doing this for years.
You cannot achieve a big goal without causing some minor problems or losses.
有失才有得
The manager said, 'You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs,' when layoffs were needed.
To build a new school, we must demolish old buildings. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
egg — 動詞
1. to throw eggs at a person, building, or statue in order to show anger or disappr
扔雞蛋
向某人或某物丟雞蛋以示抗議
to throw eggs at a person, building, or statue in order to show anger or disapproval
Protesters egged the politician's car during the rally outside city hall.
抗議者在市政廳外的集會上向政治人物的車丟雞蛋。
egg + [target] as protest
Some angry fans egged the referee's car after the controversial match ended.
比賽出現爭議後，一些憤怒的球迷向裁判的車丟雞蛋。
Paloma got egged by a stranger while walking home late at night near the park.
Paloma 深夜在公園附近走路回家時，被一個陌生人丟了雞蛋。
passive: get egged
The mayor's house was egged overnight by vandals who disliked the new law.
市長的房子在夜間被不滿新法律的破壞分子丟了雞蛋。
- egg a building
- egg a car
- get egged
- egg a politician
- pelt
to throw things at someone or something, can involve eggs or other objects
用法筆記
Often used in the passive voice ('get egged' / 'was egged'). Egging is a form of public protest or vandalism, not an act of celebration.
常見錯誤
2. to spread a thin layer of mixed raw egg onto the surface of food before cooking
裹蛋液
烹調前在食物表面塗上蛋液
to spread a thin layer of mixed raw egg onto the surface of food before cooking it, which helps other ingredients stick and gives the cooked food a shiny, brown finish
Before frying chicken tenders, the chef egged each piece and coated it with breadcrumbs.
在炸雞柳之前，廚師先幫每一塊裹上蛋液，再沾上麵包粉。
egg + [ingredient] onto [food] for coating
Egg the pastry surface with a brush before putting it in the oven.
用刷子在糕點表面刷上蛋液，再放進烤箱。
imperative: egg the surface — cooking instruction
Élise egged each pastry roll carefully so the crust would turn a nice golden colour.
Élise 仔細地在每個糕餅捲上刷了蛋液，讓外皮烤出漂亮的金黃色。
Before baking the bread rolls, the baker egged the tops to make them shine.
在烘烤麵包捲之前，麵包師傅在頂部刷了蛋液讓表面有光澤。
- egg the pastry
- egg the surface
- egg before breading
- egg wash
- brush with egg
a clearer phrase meaning the same action
用法筆記
Common in recipes and cooking instructions. The beaten egg is usually applied with a brush. This sense is often used in the imperative ('egg the pastry').
常見錯誤
同根字
- egg-shaped形容詞B2
- eggless形容詞B1
- eggcup名詞B1
- eggshell名詞B1
- egg-white名詞B1
- egg-yolk名詞B1
常見搭配
名詞搭配
- egg production
- egg farm
- egg carton
- egg allergy
- egg substitute
常用片語
介系詞搭配
- egg on (surface)
- egg with (a brush)