Picture two things standing face to face. Neither one is the point - what you notice is the gap between them, and the gap is what English calls the contrast. Sometimes the gap appears by itself, sometimes a person puts the two things side by side on purpose so that it shows.

可以想成 contrast 的畫面是兩個東西面對面站著。重點不在其中哪一邊,而在它們中間那道落差——那道落差就是 contrast。有時候落差是自己跳出來的,有時候是人刻意把兩樣東西擺在一起,好讓它被看見。

From the word’s history

English took contrast from French contraster / Italian contrastare, which go back to Vulgar Latin contrastare to stand opposed to, withstand: contra against + stare to stand. The verb entered English in the 1690s and the noun around 1711. The same stare root sits inside stand, station, status and statue. (Etymonline)

contrast 來自法文 contraster、義大利文 contrastare,再往回是通俗拉丁文 contrastare「站在對面、抵住」:contra 是「對著、相反」,stare 是「站」。動詞大約 1690 年代進入英文,名詞在 1711 年前後出現。所以「兩個東西面對面站著」不只是後來想出來的比喻,它本來就寫在這個字裡;stare 這個字根也躺在 stand、station、status、statue 裡面。(Etymonline)

Etymonline, entry 'contrast' — https://www.etymonline.com/word/contrast

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

原始詞典資料8 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法,摘錄並精簡格式,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。

contrastnoun

  • 1

    A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.

    • The red and the orange don't have much contrast between them — I can hardly tell them apart.
  • 2

    A difference in lightness, brightness or hue between two colours that makes them more or less distinguishable.

    • Ohh, you can't fool me. This thing's top of the line! It's got two contrast knobs!
  • 3

    A difference between two objects, people or concepts.

    • Israel is a country of many contrasts.
    • The colonel and his sponsor made a queer contrast: Greystone [the sponsor] long and stringy, with a face that seemed as if a cold wind was eternally playing on it.
  • 4

    Something that is opposite of or strikingly different from something else.

    • Why this denunciation of idolatry at this point? And why are Shabbat and the sanctuary mentioned as contrasts to idol worship?
  • 5

    Antithesis.

  • 6

    medicinesciencesContrast medium

contrastverb/kənˈtɹɑːst/

  • 1

    To set in opposition in order to show the difference or differences between; to counterpoint.

  • 2

    To form a contrast.

    • Foreground and background strongly contrast.
    • The color of her dress contrasts very nicely with the black scarf around her neck.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary,已精簡格式;依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用,改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。