1 VERB 开始；着手 To begin to do something means to start doing it. 开始；着手
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He stood up and began to move around the room. [VERB to-infinitive]
他起身开始在屋里来回走动。
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The weight loss began to look more serious. [VERB to-infinitive]
体重下降眼看开始变得愈发厉害了。
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Snow began falling again. [VERB verb-ing]
雪又开始下了。
SYN start, commence, proceed
2 V-ERG （使）开始（进行或存在） When something begins or when you begin it, it takes place from a particular time onwards. （使）开始（进行或存在）
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The problems began last November. [VERB]
问题在去年11月份开始出现。
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He has just begun his fourth year in hiding. [VERB noun]
他东躲西藏的第四个年头刚刚开始。
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The US is prepared to begin talks immediately.
美国愿意立刻开始谈判。
SYN commence, start, initiate, embark on
3 VERB 从…开始；从…着手；首先做（某事） If you begin with something, or begin by doing something, this is the first thing you do. 从…开始；从…着手；首先做（某事）
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Could I begin with a few formalities? [VERB + with]
请允许我开场先讲几句套话。
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...a businessman who began by selling golf shirts from the boot of his car. [VERB + by]
靠他的汽车后备箱练摊兜售高尔夫球衫起家的商人
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He began his career as a sound editor. [VERB noun prep.]
他是从声音剪辑师做起的。
4 VERB [no cont] 开始说；开口说 You use begin to mention the first thing that someone says. 开始说；开口说
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'Professor Theron,' he began, 'I'm very pleased to see you'. [VERB with quote]
“西伦教授，”他开口说道，“很高兴见到您。”
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He didn't know how to begin. [VERB]
他不知从何说起。
SYN start talking, start, open, initiate
5 VERB [no cont] 起初是；开始是 If one thing began as another, it first existed in the form of the second thing. 起初是；开始是
SYN come into existence, start, appear, emerge
6 VERB [no cont] （界限或边缘）起始于 If you say that a thing or place begins somewhere, you are talking about one of its limits or edges. （界限或边缘）起始于
SYN emerge, start, spring, stem
7 VERB [no cont] 以…开头；首字母为 If a word begins with a particular letter, that is the first letter of that word. 以…开头；首字母为
SYN start
8 VERB [no cont] 无法，难以（解释、理解、想象等） If you say that you cannot begin to imagine, understand, or explain something, you are emphasizing that it is almost impossible to explain, understand, or imagine. 无法，难以（解释、理解、想象等） [emphasis]
9 PHRASE 最初；刚开始 You use to begin with when you are talking about the first stage of a situation, event, or process. 最初；刚开始
SYN at first, to start with, in the first place
10 PHRASE 首先；第一 You use to begin with to introduce the first of several things that you want to say. 首先；第一
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'What do scientists you've spoken with think about that?' — 'Well, to begin with, they doubt it's going to work.'
“跟你聊过的科学家是怎么看的？”—“嗯，首先，他们怀疑这能否行得通。”
11 charity begins at home→see: charity begin life→see: life
Usage Note :
Begin, start, and commence all have a similar meaning, although commence is more formal and is not normally used in conversation. The meeting is ready to begin... He tore the list up and started a fresh one. ...an alternative to commencing the process of European integration. Note that begin, start, and commence can all be followed by an -ing form or a noun, but only begin and start can be followed by a 'to' infinitive.
begin, start 和 commence 意思相近，但 commence 更为正式，通常不用在日常对话中：The meeting is ready to begin（会议可以开始了），He tore the list up and started a fresh one（他把清单撕碎，开始另列一张），an alternative to commencing the process of European integration（启动欧洲一体化进程的另一种方式）。注意，begin, start 和commence 后都可以接 -ing 形式或名词，但只有 begin 和 start 可以接带 to 的动词不定式。
ThesaurusWord Partnership
| Thesaurus | begin Also look up: |
| VERB. | commence, kick off, start; (ant.) end, stop 2 |
| Word Partnership | Use begin with: |
| ADV. | begin again/anew, begin immediately/soon, suddenly begin 1 2 |
| VERB. | expected/scheduled to begin, begin to show, begin to understand 1 2 |
| ADJ. | ready to begin 1 2 |
| N. | begin a process 2 |
| PREP. | begin by doing something 3 to begin with 9 10 |
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