喜樂美語

You can picture 'must' as a wall in front of you that leaves only one way through — 'there's no choice but this'. From that one feeling of necessity two big branches open: outward at the world ('you have no choice but to do it' = obligation) and inward at your own mind ('I have no choice but to conclude it's true' = strong ). The noun 'a must' is the same wall frozen into a thing: something you simply can't skip.

可以把 must 想成你面前一道牆，只留下一條路能走——「除此之外別無選擇」。從這個「躲不掉的必然」會岔出兩條大路：一條朝外指向世界（你非做不可＝義務、規定），一條朝內指向你的腦袋（我不得不認定這是真的＝強烈推測）。名詞的 a must 則是把這道牆凝結成一個東西：一件你就是不能跳過的事物。

From the word’s history

Old English 'moste', past tense of 'motan' (to be able to, be allowed to). Over time the sense hardened from 'may / be permitted' into 'be obliged to' — from open possibility to closed necessity.

源自古英文 moste，是 motan（能夠、被允許）的過去式。它的語意隨時間從「可以、被允許」收緊成「不得不」——從敞開的「可能」變成封死的「必然」。

Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), 'must'

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複數 musts

意思相近

have tomust beshoulddo you have toneed tocertainlyought towhy do you alwaysbe required todefinitelyhave to (enthusiastic)cannot+11

用法接近

shouldshould beyou've got tocan't you stopought toought to bebe sure towould you please stopshould notprobably ishave toought not to+5

意思相反

must notcan't beneed notcouldn't becanare allowed tomayluxuryoptional extra

原始詞典資料10 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。

mustverb詞源 1/məst/

  • 1

    To do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a failure or negative consequence.

    • You must arrive in class on time.
    • This door handle must be rotated fully.
  • 2

    To do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate.

    • If it has rained all day, it must be very wet outside.
    • Where would you have put the keyring? You couldn’t have lost it again! - I must have, because it's nowhere to be found.
  • 3

    Used to indicate that something is very likely, probable, or certain to be true.

    • The children must be asleep by now.
    • There's the doorbell. It must be Dad.

mustnoun詞源 1/məst/

  • 1

    Something that is mandatory, required or recommended.

    • If you're trekking all day, a map is a must.
    • "There are no musts in my life - I'm free, white, and twenty-one."

mustnoun詞源 2/məst/

  • 1

    The property of being stale or musty.

  • 2

    Something that exhibits the property of being stale or musty.

  • 3

    Fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes.

    • No sweet grape lies hidden here in the shade of its vine-leaves, No fermenting must fills and o'erflows the deep vats.

mustverb詞源 2/məst/

  • 1

    To make musty.

  • 2

    To become musty.

這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形：

  • musth

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。