To winnow is to cut a big group down to a small one by throwing away the parts you don't want, so that only the good part is left. A company gets 300 job applications and winnows them down to ten people to interview. A judge winnows fifty entries down to three. You usually say winnow down (winnow the list down to five) or winnow out (winnow out the weak ideas — here the thing you name is what you REMOVE).

To winnow is to cut a big group down to a small onewinnow就是把一大群人或東西縮小成一小群，by throwing away the parts you don't want方法是把不要的部分丟掉，so that only the good part is left只留下好的部分。A company gets 300 job applications一間公司收到300份求職申請，and winnows them down to ten people to interview然後winnow(篩選)到剩十個人面試。A judge winnows fifty entries down to three一位評審把五十件作品winnow到剩三件。You usually say winnow down (winnow the list down to five)你通常會說winnow down，像winnow the list down to five(把名單篩到剩五個)，or winnow out (winnow out the weak ideas或winnow out，像winnow out the weak ideas(把弱的點子淘汰掉)，here the thing you name is what you REMOVE)這裡講出來的東西是你要「拿掉」的部分。

This word carries a picture with it. The old meaning, still alive on farms, is what a farmer does after cutting wheat: he throws the grain up in the air, the wind blows the light useless skin (the chaff) away, and the heavy good seed falls back down. So when someone says winnow, there is a feeling that the bad stuff is light and empty and the good stuff has real weight, and that some process — not just personal taste — is doing the separating. Because of that picture, winnow sounds a bit careful and a bit slow, like real work is being done.

This word carries a picture with it這個字帶著一幅畫面。The old meaning, still alive on farms這個字的舊義在農場上還在使用，is what a farmer does after cutting wheat指的是農夫割完麥子後做的事：he throws the grain up in the air他把穀粒往空中拋，the wind blows the light useless skin (the chaff) away風把又輕又沒用的外殼(穀殼)吹走，and the heavy good seed falls back down而重的好穀粒會掉回來。So when someone says winnow所以當有人說winnow的時候，there is a feeling that the bad stuff is light and empty會有一種感覺：不好的東西又輕又空，and the good stuff has real weight而好的東西有真正的份量，and that some process — not just personal taste — is doing the separating而且是有某種過程──不只是個人喜好──在做篩選。Because of that picture因為有這幅畫面，winnow sounds a bit careful and a bit slowwinnow聽起來有點謹慎、有點慢，like real work is being done好像真的有工夫在裡面。

It is a written word more than a spoken one: you meet it in news reports, business writing, and school writing far more than in daily talk. A friend would just say "we cut the list down". It is not formal in a cold way, though — writers like it because it is vivid.

It is a written word more than a spoken one這是個比較常出現在書寫、而不是口說的字：you meet it in news reports, business writing, and school writing你會在新聞報導、商業文件、學校寫作裡遇到它，far more than in daily talk遠比在日常對話裡常見。A friend would just say朋友只會說"we cut the list down"『we cut the list down』(我們把名單刪一刪)。It is not formal in a cold way, though不過它並不是那種冷冰冰的正式——writers like it because it is vivid作家喜歡用它是因為它很生動。