Sponginess is the quality of being spongy — soft, full of tiny air holes, and springing back a little when you press it. It is the noun for a feeling in your hand or your foot. Fresh bread has it, a good cake has it, wet ground after rain has it, and so does a mattress that gives way under you.

Sponginess鬆軟感 is the quality of being spongy就是海綿般的那種特質 — soft軟軟的, full of tiny air holes佈滿小氣孔, and springing back a little而且被壓的時候 when you press it會微微彈回來. It它 is the noun for是那種感覺的名詞 a feeling in your hand or your foot手上或腳下感覺到的. Fresh bread新鮮的麵包 has it有這種感覺, a good cake好的蛋糕 has it也有, wet ground after rain雨後濕濕的地面 has it也有, and so does而 a mattress一張床墊 that gives way under you你躺下去會陷下去的 也是.

Two things live inside the word: softness, and the small bounce that comes from air trapped in holes. That second part is why sponginess is not the same as plain softness — butter is soft but not spongy, because it does not push back.

Two things兩樣東西 live inside the word藏在這個字裡面: softness軟度, and the small bounce還有那個小小的彈性 that comes from air trapped in holes來自困在孔洞裡的空氣. That second part就是第二點 is why sponginess是為什麼 sponginess is not the same as跟 plain softness純粹的軟不一樣 — butter奶油 is soft but not spongy軟但不是鬆軟有彈性, because因為 it does not push back它不會彈回來.

Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing depends entirely on what you are touching. A baker wants sponginess in a cake and will praise it. A driver does not want sponginess in the brake pedal, and a doctor does not want to feel sponginess where a bone should be firm — there it is a warning.

Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing它是好是壞 depends entirely完全要看 on what you are touching你摸的是什麼. A baker麵包師傅 wants sponginess想要鬆軟感 in a cake在蛋糕裡, and will praise it還會誇獎它. A driver駕駛 does not want sponginess不想要鬆軟感 in the brake pedal在煞車踏板上, and a doctor而醫生 does not want to feel sponginess也不想摸到鬆軟感 where a bone should be firm在該硬的骨頭該有的地方 — there it is a warning在那裡那就是警訊.

So the word itself is neutral; the situation decides. It is not a common everyday word. You meet it in cooking writing, in descriptions of soil and ground, and in technical talk about materials.

So所以 the word itself這個字本身 is neutral是中性的; the situation decides情境決定一切. It它 is not a common everyday word不是常見的日常字. You meet it你會在 in cooking writing烹飪寫作裡遇到它, in descriptions of soil and ground描述土壤和地面的文字裡, and in technical talk about materials還有材料的技術討論裡.