- 1薊花冠毛、薊絮（薊的種子上那層會隨風飄的白色細絨毛）。想像蒲公英那顆白色絨球被吹散的樣子，就是這個。英文常用它比喻「輕飄飄」。
The soft white fluff attached to the seeds of a thistle. When the flower dies, each seed grows a little parachute of fine hairs, the wind takes it, and the seed travels far away — that is how the plant spreads.
The soft white fluff那種軟軟的白色絨毛 attached to the seeds of a thistle附著在薊的種子上的 When the flower dies花謝了之後 each seed grows a little parachute of fine hairs每顆種子會長出一個細毛做的小降落傘 the wind takes it風把它吹走 and the seed travels far away種子就這樣飄到很遠的地方 that is how the plant spreads這就是這種植物傳播的方式
It is an uncountable noun: 'thistledown', not 'a thistledown', not 'thistledowns'. Say 'a piece of thistledown' if you need one.
It is an uncountable noun它是不可數名詞 'thistledown''thistledown' not 'a thistledown'不會說'a thistledown' not 'thistledowns'也不會說'thistledowns' Say 'a piece of thistledown'要說'a piece of thistledown' if you need one如果你需要指一個的話
You will hardly ever hear this word in ordinary talk. It lives in two places. One is nature writing: 'thistledown blowing across the field'. The other, more useful to you, is comparison — it is the standard English picture for something very light, very soft, and carried helplessly by the wind: 'light as thistledown', 'she drifted like thistledown', 'hair as fine as thistledown'. That is really why the word survives.
You will hardly ever hear this word in ordinary talk你在日常對話裡幾乎聽不到這個字 It lives in two places它出現在兩個地方 One is nature writing一個是自然書寫 'thistledown blowing across the field''thistledown blowing across the field' The other, more useful to you另一個對你更有用 is comparison是拿來做比喻 it is the standard English picture for something very light, very soft它是英文裡形容非常輕、非常軟 and carried helplessly by the wind、被風吹得身不由己的標準畫面 'light as thistledown''light as thistledown' 'she drifted like thistledown''she drifted like thistledown' 'hair as fine as thistledown''hair as fine as thistledown' That is really why the word survives這才是這個字還活著的真正原因
If you have seen the white puffball of a dandelion that children blow — 蒲公英 — thistledown is the same idea from a different plant, and English speakers often mean that sort of thing loosely when they say it.
If you have seen the white puffball of a dandelion that children blow如果你看過小孩子吹的蒲公英那顆白色絨球 — 蒲公英 — thistledown is the same idea from a different plantthistledown就是同一個概念、換一種植物 and English speakers often mean that sort of thing loosely when they say it英文使用者說這個字的時候常常就是籠統地指這種東西
core核心畫面
組成thistle + down. Here 'down' is not the opposite of 'up' — it is a different word that means 'very fine soft feathers or hairs', the same 'down' as in a down jacket (羽絨外套) or the down on a baby duck.
原始詞典資料1 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。
thistledownnoun
- 1
The soft, feathery pappus attached to the seeds of a thistle.
- Yet, let me not reproach myself, since the blame is due to her lightness of heart, her fickle fancy—no stabler than gossamer or thistledown—which the first wanton breath wafts elsewhere.
- “Oh,” said Zuleika, “of course I like being admired. Oh yes, I like all that very much indeed. In a way, I suppose, I’m even pleased that YOU admire me. But oh, what a little miserable pleasure that is in comparison with the rapture I have forfeited! I had never known the rapture of being in love. I had longed for it, but I had never guessed how wonderfully wonderful it was. It came to me. I shuddered and wavered like a fountain in the wind. I was more helpless and flew lightlier than a shred of thistledown among the stars. All night long, I could not sleep for love of you; nor had I any desire of sleep, save that it might take me to you in a dream. I remember nothing that happened to me this morning before I found myself at your door.”
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。