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单词 life
释义

Definition of life in English:

life

nounPlural lives lʌɪflaɪf

  • 1mass noun The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

    生命（指生命的生理过程）

    the origins of life

    生命的起源。

    cats require visual experience during the first few weeks of life
    Example sentencesExamples
    • This is perhaps fitting, as this is the only place in the universe that we can say without any doubt that life exists.
    • It is the breath of life and the inward light that animates the human body and inspires the human soul.
    • The chemical evolution of life may have started in space as well, they suggest.
    • The reason we live in a universe fit for life, is that it was hatched in a laboratory in some other universe fit for life.
    • In just a few of them the constants have taken on the right values for the creation of stars, life and evolution.
    • As blood is pumped around the body, it carries oxygen and nutrients that are essential for life.
    • For life to evolve, simple molecules have to combine to form more complex ones.
    • In other words, none of the chemical machinery of life could exist in the smallest of them.
    • The dark green color was chosen because it represents life, nature, growth, and ecology.
    • They are expressions of the blind will in nature, enabling life to exist and propagate itself.
    Synonyms
    existence, being, living, animation, aliveness, animateness
    entity, sentience, creation, survival, viability
    rare esse
    1. 1.1 Living things and their activity.
      生物；生物的活动
      lower forms of life

      低级生物。

      the ice-cream vendors were the only signs of life

      冰淇淋小贩们是（那地方）存在着生命活动的惟一迹象。

      the valley is teeming with bird life
      Example sentencesExamples
      • It is a haven for bird life and other wildlife - roe deer and red squirrels can often be spotted from the house.
      • If even microbial life exists on Mars, it would produce methane, and would need water to survive.
      • You may also see seals, dolphins and sometimes whales, as well as bird and fish life.
      • The banks are green again after months of gloom and the margins are alive with life.
      • The tide was way out and most of the bird life was as well, but I was happy to wait and see how the rising tide would affect them.
      • In a matter of minutes, the hallway is not barren and lonely; it teems with life and sound.
      • It is also worth using bread at the times people are feeding the bird life.
      • The streets were alive with life this Monday morning on the streets of Manhattan.
      • What have been the consequences of large waves and water movement to whatever life existed on its surface?
      • The fine paintings of Kota bring alive the teeming life of the hills of Rajasthan.
      • Enjoy the lush foliage, the endemic bird life and some leg stretching all at the same time.
      • The Cretaceous was thus the time in which life as it now exists on Earth came together.
      • There was very little in the way of animal life on the islands, sheep mainly, but the bird life more than made up for that.
      • I was still outside its atmosphere, and I could see it was made of gas and seemed to have no life existing on it.
      • The prop and rudder were intact here as well, and the whole wreck was alive with life.
      • There are fine examples of native trees with their names on them, and plenty of bird life.
      • As they entered, they walked through a hallway and into the living room in search of a sign of life.
      • The marine and bird life that followed the boat matched that observed by the Endeavour crew.
      • The discovery suggests that life could exist on planets very different from Earth.
      • The hedge is teeming with wild bird life and just now, at the height of the nesting season, a model of industry.
      Synonyms
      living things, living beings, living creatures, the living
      human/animal/plant life, fauna, flora, ecosystems, creatures, wildlife
      human beings, humanity, humankind, mankind, man, human activity
      literary flesh

  • 2The existence of an individual human being or animal.

    生命（指人或动物的肉体存在）

    a disaster that claimed the lives of 266 people

    一场夺去266名美国人生命的大灾难。

    mass noun she didn't want to die; she loved life

    她不想死，她热爱生命。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • An individual life is a small thing, which must be seized and relished in equal measure.
    • The mammal society said these features could be used to identify hotspots where action could be taken to save animal lives.
    • Wild animals and tropical diseases claim the lives of thousands of laborers.
    • Long ambulance journeys are putting the lives of severely ill patients at risk, according to the first research to test the government's plans to close some A&E departments.
    • One of the defining evils of terrorism is that it uses human beings' lives to send a political message.
    • The accident involving a truck and a car claimed the lives of five people.
    • A high-speed head-on car crash claimed the lives of a teenager and two elderly women, an inquest heard.
    • The jubilation of a Welsh rugby success turned to tragedy at the weekend when a car crash claimed the lives of two young men.
    • Zambia will benefit more if the lives of animals in forest reserves are preserved and protected against poachers.
    • Those of us who presume to speak for the lives of individual animals need to observe our subjects very carefully indeed.
    • The lives of most wild animals will be terminated by violence, by starvation, or by disease.
    • It's their profits they are weeping over, not the animals' lives.
    • So he owes us an explanation why only the lives of human beings are sacred.
    • I think definitely it should be done if it involves the lives of human beings.
    • The lives of several animals, which were staying there overnight, were put at risk.
    • Three children are fighting for their lives after the car they were in plunged into a lake yesterday afternoon.
    • We insist that the law protect the lives of human beings with special firmness and care.
    • In no time at all, this network of like-minded individuals is developing a life of its own.
    • Her campaigns to save animal lives have made headlines around the world.
    • The farmer was trying to protect the lives of many animals through what he did.
    • Two men are fighting for their lives after a head-on car smash in Radcliffe.
    Synonyms
    person, human being, individual, mortal, soul, creature
    1. 2.1with adjective or noun modifier A particular type or aspect of human existence.
      （某种特定的）生活，生活的某方面
      his father decided to start a new life in California

      他爸爸决定在加利福尼亚开始新生活。

      mass noun a teacher will help you settle into school life

      经验丰富的老师会帮助你适应校园生活。

      revelations about his private life

      有关他私生活的披露。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • There is a lot of talk in our group about applying spiritual practices to our business lives.
      • Much progress have been achieved in all aspects of their daily lives.
      • One only has to look at refugee law to see international law having a direct affect on individual lives.
      • You need discipline to get results in your social, sporting and professional lives but too many individuals here take a soft option.
      • In our everyday lives, we treat animals as a means to our ends, but we increasingly lack moral justifications for doing so.
      • Is it possible for a couple to have a threesome without risking their love life?
      • And this again is true for each one of you, in all that you do in your own individual lives.
      • The play aims to give a humorous portrayal of the everyday life of normal mums.
      • How much we could all get by way of tax cuts if we could rebuild family life in this country!
      • Wouldn't this kind of attitude to the religious life be seen as somewhat dangerous?
      • The acting matron, who's worked at Lynwood for 19 years, says residents enjoy full social lives.
      • Despite her filial devotion, Moore did not leave college expecting to spend her adult life with her mother.
      • The worldly life and the religious life are always considered two sides of a coin in Islam.
      • I had also spent most of my working life writing profiles of people for newspapers.
      • The worst period in my working life was the period during the Thatcher years.
      • Their polytheistic view influenced every aspect of their daily lives.
      • The novelist's story ends just as the literary lives of the historical Charles and Mary Lamb began.
      • Gen Xers refuse to sacrifice their personal lives for the sake of the job.
      • Shakespeare probably ruined my social life at this school also, for all I know.
      • Have we forgotten that interaction and association are important factors in the social lives of humans?
      Synonyms
      way of life, way of living, manner of living, lifestyle, situation, position, state, station, condition, set of circumstances, fate, lot
      sphere, field, line, career, business
    2. 2.2 A biography.
      传记
      a life of Shelley

      雪莱的传记。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • There were various poems, legends, saint's lives, chronicles and similar literature.
      • He also began work on his life of 17th century biographer and antiquarian John Aubrey.
      Synonyms
      biography, autobiography, life story, life history, memoir, history, profile
      diary, journal, confessions
      record, chronicle, account, report, portrayal, depiction, portrait
      informal biog, bio
    3. 2.3 (in Christianity and some other religious traditions) either of the two states of a person's existence separated by death.
      he departed this life on 28 March 1912
      Example sentencesExamples
      • You need proof in order to say that an argument for life after death is based on memories of former lives.
      • Do people find it possible to communicate across the life / death line through dreaming?
      • Afterlife energy is an unusual strand running through the life after death debate.
      • Either God is there or he isn't; either there is a life after death or there is not.
      • Since then, life after death as well as death between lives has been a fact for me, not just a belief.
      • Well sorry to tell you but if there is a life after death and you get there and don't like it then too bad.
      Synonyms
      lifetime, life span, days, duration of life, allotted span, course of life, time on earth, existence, one's time, one's career, threescore years and ten, this mortal coil
    4. 2.4 (in Hinduism and some other religious traditions) any of a number of successive existences in which a soul is held to be reincarnated.
      a spiritual pilgrimage into her past lives
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Well, through hypnotism people have supposedly been able to remember past lives.
      • It is only the rarest few who have come to earn this privilege in past lives.
      • The suffering in this life is a punishment, but also an opportunity to exercise what I have learned from past lives.
      • I feel it is very certain that you are completing a journey that you have connected with in a past life.
      • I do believe in reincarnation, that we are reborn into another life with no past memory.
      • If we had not accumulated good karma in past lives, then we might have taken birth in the lower realms.
      • Whether this is purely good luck or a punishment for the sins of past lives is a moot point.
      • He called the earth to witness his many good deeds of past lives and so justified his seat in that place.
      • I know people who realise their past lives but I dunno for myself.
      • In the case of many monks, it seems they could have memorized many things in past lives, so now it is like recalling that memory.
      • The knots are the karma you're born with from all your past lives, and the object of human life is to try and undo all those knots.
      • At every opportunity he recalls deeds of kindness done to him by others, even in past lives.
      • But I'm not a believer in past lives, so I knew it was no echo from a previous existence.
      • What exactly is the impersonal causal connection between the misdeeds in past lives and the painful events in this life?
      • She went to dozens, maybe hundreds of people who could purport to tell her her past lives to see if they would hook up in any way.
      • There has been cases of young children allegedly remembering past lives.
      • Alleged memories of past lives are usually obtained by a procedure called hypnotic regression.
      • This continues for a long time over many lives until the soul recognizes itself and determines more and more the individual actions.
    5. 2.5 A chance to live after narrowly escaping death (with reference to the nine lives traditionally attributed to cats)
      幸免于死后的再生机会，新的生机（源于猫有九命的传说）
      we were called to the hospital, but the old rogue had nine lives and seemed to be negotiating for another two
      Example sentencesExamples
      • George is the survivor, the cat with nine lives, and he has an autobiography for every one of them.
      • A house next to the site of a proposed cattery is soon to be demolished and rebuilt… proving it, too, has nine lives.
      • A lucky cat has used up most of its nine lives after surviving a 12-mile journey under the bonnet of a car.
      • It's also said that a cat has nine lives and we all hope the extra eight are enough to ensure they enjoy a long, happy life.
      • Ross the cat is looking for a new home before Christmas where he can retire and live out the rest of his nine lives.
      • The puss used up one of her nine lives when she was spotted dodging the Ryanair Boeing 737 as it arrived from Dublin.
      • If most cats have nine lives, this one must have at least double that.
      • He had already lost one of his nine lives after he was taken to a vet when he was run over by a car.
      • She is a beautiful cat, albeit short of a tail, an eye, half an ear and five of her nine lives.
      • It's miraculous the cat has survived - it must have used up a couple of its nine lives.
      • What's interesting about Hollywood stars is that they just seem to have nine lives.
      • She says fighting an expressway is like struggling with a dragon with nine lives.
      • They take their feline personalities and act them for every one of their nine lives.
      • A cat has to catch and kill only one rabies infected mouse and it too will be dead and buried long before it lives out its nine lives.
      • Millie the cat risked one of her nine lives when she became stuck.
      • She is fearless, obviously believing that cats really do have nine lives.
      • Finally the cat was hauled free, with all but one of her nine lives intact.
      • The results were not reassuring, and by the time we took Fergus to the vet's the following day, we were convinced his nine lives were up.
      • A cat used up all her nine lives after she survived almost three weeks trapped under floorboards without food or water.
      • To this day he is living not only as someone with nine lives, but he is living the life of a new man.
    6. 2.6 (in various games) one of a specified number of chances each player has before being put out.
      （尤指纸牌类游戏中淘汰出局前的）机会
      Example sentencesExamples
      • A player must hit his double to become a killer and can then start the business of taking lives from other players by scoring in their double.
      • A player with no lives who cannot or does not wish to call the doctor drops out of the game.
      • When a player has lost ten lives, she buys a round of drinks, the score is wiped clean and the next rubber starts.
      • These players keep their last lives and another deal is played between them.

  • 3usually one's lifeThe period between the birth and death of a living thing, especially a human being.

    （人的）一生

    she has lived all her life in the country

    她的一生都是在乡下度过的。

    they became friends for life

    他们成了终生的朋友。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Some priests and priestesses served for life, others for a set period, usually a year.
    • It turns out he was a friend of the da Vinci family and has known the artist all his life.
    • To live one's life according to one's true will is not the same as doing whatever one wants to do.
    • These are the people who have been telling us to control our sexual appetites and stick to one partner for life.
    • There is no job for life - only a life of worry about how to make ends meet and whether your pension will last as long as you.
    • Should popes, who rule for life, retire if they become ill instead of dying in office?
    • He was probably scarred for life, but his parents must have been delighted at their ingenuity.
    • Last month he was jailed for life for the arson deaths.
    • It may have put me off female singers for life.
    • The nub of flesh that pokes up out of the scar and the crater beneath it will be with me for life, I suspect.
    • Some children died of polio stroke and some others have become handicapped for life.
    • Yet the redundancy is also a reminder that there are no jobs for life any more, even in the most advanced industries.
    • On the physical level, a car crash which brings you close to the point of death may leave you paralysed for life.
    • Remember, your child will have a loyal friend for life if you start them out right together.
    • It has hatched from a culture where the idea of a job for life is dead and buried.
    • It is guaranteed to grow for life, or at least into your old age, because of its genetic programming.
    • He was latter crippled for life when he attempted a backspin on the ceiling of his high school gym.
    • In reality, shaking a baby, if only for a few seconds, can damage the baby for life.
    • She suffered puncture wounds to both thighs and will be scarred for life.
    • His stunning meltdown in a greenside bunker at 16 is the kind of experience that could scar a man for life.
    Synonyms
    lifetime, life span, days, duration of life, allotted span, course of life, time on earth, existence, one's time, one's career, threescore years and ten, this mortal coil
    informal one's born days
    1. 3.1 The period during which something inanimate or abstract continues to exist, function, or be valid.
      （物品的）使用寿命；（抽象事物的）有效期
      underlay helps to prolong the life of a carpet

      衬垫物有助于延长地毯的使用寿命。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The answerphone has storage for only 20 minutes of messages, but battery life is good.
      • The product's proprietary plastic bottle also prevents light-induced oxidation and helps to prolong its shelf life.
      • Meanwhile new moments in the life of the nation continue to inspire songs.
      • The lids seal tight, prolonging the shelf life of the contents.
      • Battery life depends so much on usage that we didn't carry out a specific duration test.
      • This refers to the life of the machine and cannot be transferred to the next one you purchase.
      Synonyms
      duration, active life, lifetime, existence, functioning period, period of effectiveness, period of usefulness, validity, efficacy
    2. 3.2informal mass noun A sentence of imprisonment for life.
      〈非正式〉终身监禁的判决
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He was sentenced to life and is currently in Wakefield top security prison.
      • There was a huge public outcry when he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life.
      • In England and Wales the same offence is treated as rape where the maximum sentence can be life.
      • He was sentenced to life, and must serve a minimum of nine years before he is eligible for parole.
      • He was a tough Scotsman and had been sentenced to life for the murder of a man in a drunken brawl.
      • He was sentenced to life in December last year for the murders of the girls.

  • 4Vitality, vigour, or energy.

    活力，精力

    she was beautiful and full of life

    她美丽而且充满活力。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • The two of them together are a dynamic team, full of energy, life and very headstrong.
    • She was a wonderful woman, the life and soul, full of energy, always telling stories.
    • The juxtaposition of my somewhat flatly morbid work with the life and vitality of the farm is quite provoking.
    • She is smiling in a swimsuit, or rather laughing, and her eyes are alive with life.
    • They were full of energy and life and argued their convictions against the war convincingly.
    • In other words, squeeze the life out of the game and see if they can sneak a goal and cling doggedly to the lead.
    Synonyms
    vivacity, animation, liveliness, vitality, verve, high spirits, sparkle, exuberance, zest, buoyancy, effervescence, enthusiasm, energy, vigour, dynamism, go, elan, gusto, brio, bounce, spirit, spiritedness, activity, fire, panache, colour, dash, drive, push
    business, bustle, hustle and bustle, movement, stir
    informal oomph, pizzazz, pep, zing, zip, vim, get-up-and-go
    moving spirit, moving force, animating spirit, vital spirit, spirit, vital spark, life force, lifeblood, essence, core, heart, soul, strength, quintessence, substance
    French élan vital

  • 5mass noun (in art) the depiction of a subject from a real model, rather than from an artist's imagination.

    （美术作品）以实物为原型（或根据活体模型而非根据想像）的创作，写真艺术

    the pose and clothing were sketched from life

    姿势和衣服都是以实物为原型描画出来的。

    See also still life
    Example sentencesExamples
    • Already his painting recorded a scene of a disappearing London that had been painted from life.
    • From this process emerges spontaneous sketches and studied works from life or the imagination.
    • It took him a mere two hours to sculpt his subject from life in wax before going on to mould the likeness in his unique paste.
    • The large back room features portraits drawn from life - the actual rather than the ideal.
    • Anybody who has ever drawn from life can tell you that drawing is like touching.
    • I trained as a painter initially, and spent a lot of my time drawing from life.
    • At this period El Greco did not paint from life, except for the heads in his portraits.
    • As a result it became a real practical proposition to use the apparatus for making drawings from life.

Phrases

  • be one's life

    • Be the most important person or thing to one.

      my work is my life
      Example sentencesExamples
      • After deciding that dance was to be her life, she studied seriously.
      • Administrator was not just a job to her, it was her life.
      • She voraciously acquired acquaintances of all sorts, invited them into the salon that was her life, and made them feel at home.
      • Everyone who knew him knew police work was his life.
      • "My family is my life," he says.
      • Poetry was not his profession, it was his life.

  • come (or bring someone) to life

    • 1Regain or cause to regain consciousness.

      复苏，使死而复生

      all this was of great interest to her, as if she were coming to life after a long sleep

      这一切都让她十分感兴趣，使她觉得像是从沉睡中苏醒过来一样。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He died and came to life again and hence conquered death.
      1. 1.1(with reference to a fictional character or inanimate object) cause or seem to be alive or real.
        赋予（虚构的人物或无生命的物体）生命，使…活过来
        he brings the character of MacDonald to life with power and precision

        他通过着力刻画和细致描写将麦克唐纳这个人物表现得栩栩如生。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • The thing I love most about the job is animating and making your character come to life.
        • But audiences willingly collude in that pretence and (when it's done well) rejoice in the characters it brings to life.
        • I had to be objective so that the characters could come to life, so that the work could have shape.
        • As all children know, the minute you leave your room, your toys come to life.
        • I defy the most cynical not to be struck dumb by the character parade, which comes to life to the tune of the Nutcracker ballet.
        • Children relate to puppets from their earliest years as they are used to making inanimate characters come to life.
        • Even better were the real life characters brought to life by the cast of players who were involved every week.
        • The paradoxical implication is rather delicious: Instead of a real dancer playing a puppet who comes to life and dies, here is a real puppet who comes to life as an idealized human being and achieves immortality.
        • He had a supernatural presence, almost like a fictional character come to life.
        • Simon is another character who comes to life as never before.
      2. 1.2Make or become active, lively, or interesting.
        使活泼（有趣）
        soon, with the return of the fishermen, the village comes to life again

        农民和渔夫都回来了，小村不久又恢复了生气。

        bring any room to life with these coordinating cushions

        有了这些配套坐垫，你就可以使任何一个房间都充满生机。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • The room just came to life at the end of the day when the educators in the room started talking about using weblogs in their coursework.
        • Still, i have to admit the villain's outfit is brilliant, especially the face, and the trailer seems interesting, as the period was well brought to life.
        • It was very interesting to see their urban mural come to life and develop.
        • The village of Gorthganny came to life with the sound of traditional music, song & dance recently.
        • It's interesting what you say about how a film can be brought to life again and pulled into the 21st century by something a bit more contemporary.
        • It never ceased to amaze him how she could make a long reading assignment come to life and be interesting.
        • None other than Dylan Thomas, with his rhetorical verse, could have brought to life with such gaiety and compassion the little fishing village of Llareggub.
        • Houses have stories to tell, and it's only in the hands of a good guide that the anecdote-laden rooms truly come to life.
        • But it's so inept on every level that even scenes that have an inherent, almost foolproof interest fail to come to life.
        • Thankfully, I found a small lantern with oil still in it, so I lit it and the room came to life.
        Synonyms
        become active, become lively, come alive, wake up, awaken, waken, show signs of life, arouse, rouse, stir, emerge

  • do anything for a quiet life

    • Make any concession to avoid being disturbed.

      尽力不被打扰

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The amount I donate is pathetically little compared to how much I spend on books, but there you are - we've already established I do anything for a quiet life.
      • I will normally do anything for a quiet life but on this occasion I couldn't.
      • But you get the feeling he'll do anything for a quiet life.

  • for dear (or one's) life

    • As if or in order to escape death.

      逃命似地，拼命地

      I clung on to the tree for dear life

      我死命抱住那棵树。

      Sue ran for her life
      Example sentencesExamples
      • After he had been interrogated, and fearing for his life, he escaped through a police station window.
      • Decaying gangs of the shambling undead fire out words and phrases at you, and you have to hammer them back, quickly, accurately, desperately, typing for your life.
      • Today, she is desperately fighting for her life in hospital and a bone marrow transplant is the only thing that could cure her.
      • You don't give a damn if you feel you are fighting for your life.
      • If you hear a candidate say, ‘I'd like to plant a thought in your mind,’ you'd better run for your life.
      • From the nature of her injuries, it was apparent that Jodi had fought desperately for her life.
      • And they should have run for their life when they discovered the foul-smelling swamp nearby.
      • Put it this way: of the current team, who would you most like batting for your life?
      • I spent days three and four fighting for my life, desperate to gain the trust of my opponents.
      • They ran for their life and climbed a tree when the waves came.
      Synonyms
      desperately, with all one's might, with might and main, urgently, with urgency, vigorously, with as much vigour as possible, for all one is worth, as fast as possible, as hard as possible, like the devil

  • for the life of me

    • informal with modal and negativeHowever hard I try; even if my life depended on it.

      〈非正式〉无论如何，即使要我的命

      I can't for the life of me understand what you see in her

      我无论如何也不明白你到底在那里看见了什么。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I can't, for the life of me, think why I stopped using it as an alarm clock!
      • I knew that book as well as I knew my own name, but as a child I could not, for the life of me, explain what it meant to me.
      • I also remember someone miming rather badly too, but for the life of me can't remember who they were, which is probably just as well.
      • My mind goes blank, my heart beatboxes inside my chest, my skin tingles and dampens and I cannot, for the life of me, think of anything to say.
      • However, for the life of me, I will never know how they hatch their young among these sun-oiled simmering tourists!
      • There's some subtle difference which, for the life of me, I cannot see.
      • I could not, for the life of me, find my wedge of Parmesan cheese.
      • Now, for the life of me, I can't figure out what the priest is getting at here.
      • They came flat, encased between two pieces of hard clear plastic, which I could not open for the life of me.
      • I cannot, for the life of me, understand why this book has made me dwell on my lack of friendships this evening.

  • frighten the life out of

    • Terrify.

      吓掉…的魂

      what do you mean by frightening the life out of me?
      Example sentencesExamples
      • My wife was just coming up to bed and it frightened the life out of her.
      • He said: ‘It frightens the life out of you, something like this.’
      • I don't know why I felt certain she inhabited the upstairs bathtub, waiting for me to saunter in before pouncing and frightening the life out of me.
      • With her unreasonable, one-issue agenda, she frightens the life out of me.
      • The health warnings, while over-the-top, succeeded in frightening the life out of most people and forced them to consider safer practices.
      • ‘I think the biggest danger is well-meaning people frightening the life out of youngsters by pulling figures out of the air,’ Mr Johnson said.
      • But when they're good, they're very, very good, as they showed when frightening the life out of France.
      • How does one tell the whole truth without frightening the life out of your date?
      • Say we didn't pick up on something and there was an accident, we would be the ones liable and that frightens the life out of me.
      • So it was that in 1394 the young king landed at Waterford and, like others in later times, decided that he would adopt a strategy of ‘shock and awe’ that would frighten the life out of the Irish.
      Synonyms
      frighten, make afraid, make fearful, make nervous, panic, throw into a panic

  • get a life

    • informal often in imperativeStart living a fuller existence.

      〈非正式〉开始过更为充实和有意思的生活，开始新生活

      if he's a waster then get yourself out of there and get a life

      如果他是个废物，你就干脆离开那里，去开始你自己的新生活。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Most of us must make a fateful choice: should we devote our time and talent to making a living - or to getting a life?
      • In a similar vein one can't help thinking most people would be better off forgetting about lifestyles and getting a life.
      • They're people who, you know, quite frankly need to get a life.
      • As you can see, things have calmed down since last month and I have, as they say, got a life.
      • ‘Laura's now got a life and it's made us realise the value of being together,’ he said.
      • Now it's about time that these guys got a life and came out of the dark ages - they're living in the Civil War era!
      • I have got a life and I don't need to live vicariously through others in a sort of blog-related addiction.
      • So I finally decided to act like the social being anthropologists tell me I'm meant to be, and got a life.
      • But with both the league, union and rules seasons about to start, it really is time certain rugby union types got a life and focused on the challenges and problems facing their own code and leave rugby league to our own!
      • The official version is that she wants to get a life, sceptics say she counted up the votes and thought she would lose, but more intriguing is the theory that she saw the way things were moving and began to fear that she might win.

  • give one's life for

    • Die for.

      为…而献身

      he's devoted to the royal family and would give his life for them
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Perhaps one of the things war monuments and graves do is to make you reflect on whether you would have the mettle to give your life for what you felt was right.
      • And they know that I'm willing to take risks, and this is something that I would be willing to give my life for, because I believe in it.
      • This ‘good’ guy, who is invariably a ‘superman’, can beat up a minimum of 20 to 30 baddies, and has a girl he will give his life for.
      • There is nothing worth giving your life for, it's all about survival.
      • I think you aren't wholly alive until you know what you would be willing to give your life for.
      • She was touched, and added yet another member to her brief list of people she loved and adored and would gladly give her life for.
      • I smile and think of the woman I love, the children that I would give my life for.
      • That tenacity led to Steve giving his life for the public he was proud to serve.
      • She spoke out and gave her life for not only civil rights but human rights.
      • Altruism, support, self-sacrifice, of the kind that sprang up rather startlingly in the third stanza - ‘I give my life for that’ - are viewed with a prevailing cynicism.
      Synonyms
      die, lay down one's life, sacrifice oneself

  • (as) large as life

    • informal Used to emphasize that a person is conspicuously present.

      〈非正式〉 用于强调某人的确在场确确实实

      he was standing nearby, large as life

      千真万确，他当时就站在旁边。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I doubt that you would sanction drinking and gambling on such a scale, but there you are as large as life, directly above the club's reception desk.
      • The scar is still on my hip, large as life and on our wall next to the front door is a picture of Angela, Alex and me in the hospital, posing for a picture.
      • But when they lined up for the team picture before their Champions League semi-final, there he was, large as life, and preserved for posterity.
      • Here he was today in Parliament, large as life, and there was not one single question on the Order Paper from the Leader of the Opposition.
      • Even sadder was the mid-2002 suddenness with which Our Man Geoffrey, large as life, disappeared from the small screen.
      • In their original testimony, they claimed to have been working when he wandered in, large as life, in the company of a man resembling the person described by her as their attacker.
      • A cheetah bounds into a picture, large as life, head thrown back and maw wide, roaring or yawning over a rib cage.
      • Suddenly Peggy just appeared at the side door as large as life.
      • ‘They were in again last night, large as life,’ he murmured.
      • The Case of the Missing Elephant is soon solved, for, behold, five pages further on there is the selfsame caption with the correct picture, and the elusive pachyderm large as life in the foreground.

  • larger than life

    • 1(of a person) attracting special attention because of unusual and flamboyant appearance or behaviour.

      （人）（因外表时髦或行为举止大胆而）引人注目的，（行为、服饰等）与众不同的

      he was a larger-than-life character on and off the pitch
      Example sentencesExamples
      • ‘It's about the last time that you believe in people as larger than life,’ he says.
      • It was meant to be, like, noir sort of style, so it's set in a completely unreal universe that doesn't represent anything in the world, and all the people are larger than life.
      • But he can't make himself larger than life, and neither can his cult followers, no matter how hard they try.
      • The larger than life owner attracted some of the biggest acts of the 60s and 70s to a grateful Leigh, as well as raising thousands of pounds for local charities.
      • He's got that movie star quality happening - there's something larger than life about his frame, his presence.
      • He was a larger than life character - jovial, outgoing, hugely personable.
      • Perhaps being ‘one note’ is what makes them memorable & larger than life.
      • He is a colourful character, larger than life, fun, friendly and always joking.
      • And it was as if he was suddenly larger than life, a living breathing projection of my own wilted self-image.
      • They came from all parts of the country and overseas to bid their fond farewells to a man who was larger than life and who worked so hard for his constituents in his beloved Roscommon.
      1. 1.1(of a thing) seeming disproportionately important.
        （事物）显得特别重要的
        your problems seem larger than life at that time of night

        在晚上那个时候，你的问题显得特别重要。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • He is a colourful character, larger than life, fun, friendly and always joking.
        • And it was as if he was suddenly larger than life, a living breathing projection of my own wilted self-image.
        • Perhaps being ‘one note’ is what makes them memorable & larger than life.
        • He was a larger than life character - jovial, outgoing, hugely personable.
        • The larger than life owner attracted some of the biggest acts of the 60s and 70s to a grateful Leigh, as well as raising thousands of pounds for local charities.
        • But he can't make himself larger than life, and neither can his cult followers, no matter how hard they try.
        • He's got that movie star quality happening - there's something larger than life about his frame, his presence.
        • It was meant to be, like, noir sort of style, so it's set in a completely unreal universe that doesn't represent anything in the world, and all the people are larger than life.
        • ‘It's about the last time that you believe in people as larger than life,’ he says.
        • They came from all parts of the country and overseas to bid their fond farewells to a man who was larger than life and who worked so hard for his constituents in his beloved Roscommon.

  • the life and soul of the party

    • A vivacious and sociable person.

      社交活跃分子

      William was infinitely preferable when he was being the life and soul of the party
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Trying to avoid drunkenness is pretty tough in this culture, and it doesn't exactly make you the life of the party.
      • Everyone seems to like you since you are funny and the life of the party.
      • Three days before her death, we held our annual Happy Halloween party, and she was the life of the party.
      • He's not the life of the party, but he's the guy talking about the life of the party, or making fun of the life of the party.
      • Once you're re-charged, you'll be the life of the party!
      • She has a vivacious personality and is easily the life of the party wherever she goes.
      • I have a policy that I'm the the life of the party.
      • Your friends think you are the life of the party.
      • Described as vivacious and the life and soul of the party, she was never short of an invitation to a charity gala on South Africa's high society circuit.
      • She was the life of the party, and I can't imagine that's changed, wherever she may be.

  • life is too short

    • Said to indicate that the speaker feels there are better uses of their time than the activity in question.

      life is too short to read the small print on financial documents
      life is too short for movies that are just OK
      Example sentencesExamples
      • I think life's too short to stay home.
      • Life's too short to waste time on doing things you already know you don't enjoy.
      • Life's too short to be miserable for too long.
      • You don't have to pay a fortune for the bottles you drink on holiday, but life is too short to drink bad wine.
      • The illness was a reminder that life's too short, so he ended his third marriage.
      • Life is too short for brooding about the vocabularies of strangers.
      • Life's too short not to relax and enjoy yourself.
      • Life's too short to hang around with jerks.
      • Only go to the best cafes, because life is too short for bad coffee.
      • I figured life was too short to diet and ate to my heart's content.

  • one's life's work

    • The work (especially that of an academic or artistic nature) accomplished in or pursued throughout someone's lifetime.

      （尤指学术研究或文艺创作）毕生之作；终生事业

      a major exhibition of his life's work
      Example sentencesExamples
      • What's it like to see a huge chunk of your life's work in one volume?
      • Some people, when they're told they have terminal illnesses, start planning for after life: writing memoirs, completing their life's work, sorting through their photo albums or whatever.
      • Like the swarms of people who flock to Web sites devoted to the study of genealogy, company owners who fall into their life's work through happenstance or inheritance may feel rootless, even disaffected.
      • After 20 years and 11 albums, he takes stock of his life's work in a new collection of his most famous songs.
      • At the same time, she always found her life conditions, as an impecunious single woman editing and translating the work of great men, to be unpropitious for even defining much less accomplishing her life's work.
      • The son seems to have made posturing against his father's accomplishments and beliefs his life's work.
      • The artist has finished what he once called his life's work and now lives in sheltered housing in Manchester.
      • At the late career stage, faculty members begin putting together their life's work, although some use this period to pursue entirely new agendas.
      • Paul's position was not academic theory; it was a statement of his life's work.
      • Dharma implies that each of us has unique talents waiting to be expressed through our life's work.

  • lose one's life

    • Be killed.

      丧生

      he lost his life in a car accident

      他在一次交通事故中丧生。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Well, thank God so far nobody has lost their life.
      • The man who killed him also lost his life, but it was generally agreed that the sacrifice was worth it.
      • It is terrible that someone has lost their life and that we have also lost such a historic building.
      • I nearly lost my life and it's made me appreciate every single day.
      • Samson still lost his life, but he knew that they were going to kill him anyway.
      • Luckily this time no-one lost their life, but 11 people have been killed in 70 days of chaos on our roads, and police are predicting more carnage in the summer months ahead.
      • His son Joe lost his life when attempting to do likewise in 1862.
      • The deceased lorry driver lost his life when he was forced to swerve his vehicle in an effort to avoid a small boy and drove into a lamp post.
      • Every time an innocent person lost their life, he was heart-broken.
      • We're very sad that somebody has lost their life and would like to send our sympathies to the family.
      Synonyms
      pass away, pass on, lose one's life, depart this life, expire, breathe one's last, draw one's last breath, meet one's end, meet one's death, lay down one's life, be no more, perish, be lost, go the way of the flesh, go the way of all flesh, go to glory, go to one's last resting place, go to meet one's maker, cross the great divide, cross the styx

  • a matter of life and death

    • A matter of vital importance.

      生死攸关的事

      she would not go out on the Sabbath unless it was a matter of life and death
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Unionization was necessary; it was literally a matter of life and death.
      • ‘It's a matter of life and death, really,’ he said, referring to the need for proper safety procedures.
      • It is a truth barely appreciated that government not only matters, but it is a matter of life and death that the right people run it.
      • Whether his weekly column was on writing clearly, resisting tyranny or making tea, he always made it sound like a matter of life and death.
      • However, for people who need vital organs replaced, the deficiencies of artificial substitutes are a matter of life and death.
      • Yet as well as turning York into one big traffic jam, these roadworks are also making life even more difficult for ambulance drivers, whose journeys are essential and can be a matter of life and death.
      • The ultimate outcome could be a matter of life and death.
      • Prevention is a matter of public health for governments, but a matter of life and death for individuals.
      • ‘I will not operate on you unless it's a matter of life and death,’ the surgeon told me.
      • The old fans' line says that football is not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that.
      Synonyms
      vitally important, of vital importance, all-important, vital, crucial, critical, essential, of the essence, a matter of life and death, of great consequence, necessary, indispensable, exigent, pressing, urgent

  • not on your life

    • informal Said to emphasize one's refusal to comply with a request.

      〈非正式〉 用于强调拒绝绝不可能，休想

      ‘I want to see Clare alone.’ ‘Not on your life,’ said Buzz

      “我要单独见见克莱尔。”“休想，"巴兹说。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • M. thinks it's awful and wanted to get in here and paint everything white and put down carpet and I told her not on your life, this room is mine.
      • Mac smiled: ‘Speaking for myself, I'd say ‘not on your life.’
      • It will continue to happen but as for just a stunt, not on your life Robyn.

  • save someone's (or one's own) life

    • 1Prevent someone's (or one's own) death.

      救别人（或自己）一命

      the driver of the train managed to save his life by leaping out of the cab

      火车司机跳出驾驶室，总算逃过一死。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • But just as they came to the top, a big rig was coming towards them, and to save his own life, the driver in the truck swung back to the appropriate side.
      • If he decided to jump off the train and saved his own life, he could do so without injury.
      • He was only going to surrender under the threat of death to save his own life.
      • He blamed himself for saving his own life instead of returning to the burning buildings to help others.
      • The death of the mammal should not blind us to the excellence of the steps taken to save its life.
      • Our ability to connect with our inner self could well save our life and that of the planet!
      • Will the fundamental design of that equipment in fact save my life, or will it actually take it from me?
      • How could anyone be so desperate to save their own life when it means the deaths of so many other people?
      • Train your dog to basic obedience which makes it easy to live with and may one day save its life.
      • One camel is rejected at birth by its mother and the family goes to great lengths to save its life.
      1. 1.1informal Provide much-needed relief from boredom or a difficult situation.
        〈非正式〉使烦闷缓解；摆脱困境
        Rosalind kissed her. ‘Oh you darling! You've saved my life! I've been so miserable’

  • see life

    • Gain a wide experience of the world.

      playwrights are too busy writing plays to see life
      Example sentencesExamples
      • But if you want to see life as it is and travel and meet other people, buy a motorhome, Ron said.
      • The camp activities not only brought these children from such diverse places but also gave them an opportunity to see life in the raw.
      • And - and to me, here was a chance to jump off that kind of wagon and see life for real.
      • But for those who only want to see life through the lens of the camera, the festival is probably a good option.

  • take one's life in one's hands

    • Risk being killed.

      丧生

      with more cars around than ever, you take your life in your hands just crossing the road
      Example sentencesExamples
      • Today I took my life in my hands and spent it in the company of many three-year-olds!
      • If you want to cross the road, you are taking your life in your hands.
      • Anybody who crosses it walking, especially in July and August, is taking their life in their hands.
      • I set off on this particular bus journey as dusk was approaching, little realising that I was about to take my life in my hands.
      • ‘People go down there much too quickly all the time - you take your life in your hands if you try to cross the road,’ said one resident.
      • Even walking down the small road outside the Coven now involves taking your life in your hands, because there are no footpaths and people insist on driving at 70 or 80 mph around blind bends.
      • Sometimes I feel like I'm taking my life in my hands on the road but I have no choice because I can't manage on the footpath.
      • He described the attack as a reflex action: ‘Anybody who had planned a snipe from that position would have literally been taking his life in his hands.’
      • I also took my life in my hands by visiting a Kurdish barber.
      • Yesterday I took my life in my hands and cleared out my garage.

  • take someone's (or one's own) life

    • Kill someone (or oneself).

      杀人；自杀

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Taking your own life because of a threatening situation was like killing a child in our family.
      • She meant that as her last loyalty she would kill my daughter while I took my own life.
      • The coroner recorded verdicts that the boys were unlawfully killed and their father took his own life.
      • It brought it back, a lot of painful memories but it helped me to, you know, put a face to the person that killed my sister, and almost took my life, and it just it was helpful.
      • He thought that no one would know that he killed her, that he took her life.
      • You should be able to designate that if you reach that certain stage and cannot take your own life, it will be done for you.
      • Stones kill, and as these instruments of death were taking his life, his last act was in service to others.
      • Well I almost robbed a bank and in the process my brother was killed and I took a man's life.
      • It must be an very sad place to be for victims, when they see no hope other than the ultimate step of taking your own life.
      • But if we did have a parrot such as the one Locke described, surely it would be as morally wrong to take its life without good reason as it would to kill a human being.

  • that's life

    • An expression of one's acceptance of a situation, however difficult.

      表示接受无论多么困难的情况这就是生活，生活本来就是如此

      we'll miss each other, but still, that's life

      我们彼此会想念对方，但是，这就是生活。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • We certainly can't complain on how the place is built because that's life.
      • Most of the time we don't manage it, but that's life; communication is a difficult business.
      • It has been pretty difficult, but that's life, isn't it?
      • One approach is to accept that that's life, and people have to make choices for themselves and their kids.
      • My close friends have been very supportive of my modelling, but some of them have been difficult, but I guess that's life.
      • Even in training my team-mates go all out to get me, but that's life.
      • I might think up another idea for a show or a song and I don't let rejections put me off because that's life.
      • Yes, we do rotate some around a bit, but that's life.
      • It just did not happen for us on the day but then that's life.
      • But that's life, you have just got to get on with it and I'm happy where I am just now.
      Synonyms
      the way of the world, the world, the way things go, the way of it, the human condition, the times we live in, the usual state of affairs, the school of hard knocks

  • this is the life

    • An expression of contentment with one's present circumstances.

      表示对现状心满意足这才叫生活

      Ice cubes clinked in crystal glasses. ‘This is the life,’ she said

      水晶杯里的冰块发出叮当的碰撞声。“这才叫生活，"她说。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I'm not sure many of the holidaymakers here were too happy when 20-odd footballers all barged into the hotel reception but, you have to say, this is the life!
      • ‘Man, this is the life,’ he continues, lighting up a huge brown cigar.
      • After I directed, when I went back to being an actor, I was like, ‘God, this is the life!’
      • ‘Max, this is the life,’ I said as I looked around the living room.
      • ‘Ahhh, this is the life,’ Long purred, stretching out his arms.
      • By ‘personal values,’ I mean what gets you excited; what makes your heart sing; what makes you feel like, ‘yes, this is the life!’
      • Bronzed bodies and muscles, ah yes this is the life and I am enjoying every minute of it.
      • ‘Now this is the life,’ she mumbled contented with the flowing music.
      • ‘Yes, this is the life for me,’ he said out loud, to himself.
      • ‘Now, this is the life,’ Marta said a few minutes later as they stood near the ocean's edge, drinking smoothies.

  • to the life

    • Exactly like the original.

      惟妙惟肖的，活脱脱的

      there he was, Nathan to the life, sitting at a table

      他就在那里，活脱脱就是内森坐在桌边。

  • to save one's life

    • with modal and negativeEven if one's life were to depend on it.

      无论如何都不愿意，死也不肯

      she couldn't stop crying now to save her life

      她无论如何也不肯停止哭泣。

Origin

Old English līf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lijf, German Leib 'body', also to live1.

  • The English word life is related to German Leib ‘body’, and also to leave (Old English), and live. The expression as large as life goes back to the days when portrait painting was common. Professional artists were expensive, and a good way of showing off your wealth was to have a portrait painted that was life-size. Early versions of the expression, dating from the mid 17th century, are greater or bigger than the life, with the modern form first recorded in the early 19th century. When someone lives the life of Riley they are enjoying a luxurious and carefree existence. Reilly or Riley is a common Irish surname, and the phrase may come from a popular song of the early 20th century called ‘My Name is Kelly’. This included the lines: ‘Faith and my name is Kelly Michael Kelly, / But I'm living the life of Reilly just the same.’ It is probable that the songwriter, H. Pease, was using an already existing catchphrase, but the song would have made it more widely known.

Rhymes

fife, Fyfe, knife, pro-life, rife, still-life, strife, wife
noun.1
phr.

Definition of life in US English:

life

nounlaɪflīf

  • 1The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

    生命（指生命的生理过程）

    the origins of life

    生命的起源。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • In just a few of them the constants have taken on the right values for the creation of stars, life and evolution.
    • For life to evolve, simple molecules have to combine to form more complex ones.
    • As blood is pumped around the body, it carries oxygen and nutrients that are essential for life.
    • The chemical evolution of life may have started in space as well, they suggest.
    • They are expressions of the blind will in nature, enabling life to exist and propagate itself.
    • In other words, none of the chemical machinery of life could exist in the smallest of them.
    • It is the breath of life and the inward light that animates the human body and inspires the human soul.
    • The reason we live in a universe fit for life, is that it was hatched in a laboratory in some other universe fit for life.
    • The dark green color was chosen because it represents life, nature, growth, and ecology.
    • This is perhaps fitting, as this is the only place in the universe that we can say without any doubt that life exists.
    Synonyms
    existence, being, living, animation, aliveness, animateness
    1. 1.1 Living things and their activity.
      生物；生物的活动
      lower forms of life

      低级生物。

      the ice-cream vendors were the only signs of life

      冰淇淋小贩们是（那地方）存在着生命活动的惟一迹象。

      some sort of life existed on Mars

      火星上曾有过某种生物。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • You may also see seals, dolphins and sometimes whales, as well as bird and fish life.
      • The hedge is teeming with wild bird life and just now, at the height of the nesting season, a model of industry.
      • The tide was way out and most of the bird life was as well, but I was happy to wait and see how the rising tide would affect them.
      • The banks are green again after months of gloom and the margins are alive with life.
      • There was very little in the way of animal life on the islands, sheep mainly, but the bird life more than made up for that.
      • What have been the consequences of large waves and water movement to whatever life existed on its surface?
      • The Cretaceous was thus the time in which life as it now exists on Earth came together.
      • It is also worth using bread at the times people are feeding the bird life.
      • The marine and bird life that followed the boat matched that observed by the Endeavour crew.
      • Enjoy the lush foliage, the endemic bird life and some leg stretching all at the same time.
      • The discovery suggests that life could exist on planets very different from Earth.
      • The prop and rudder were intact here as well, and the whole wreck was alive with life.
      • The streets were alive with life this Monday morning on the streets of Manhattan.
      • I was still outside its atmosphere, and I could see it was made of gas and seemed to have no life existing on it.
      • If even microbial life exists on Mars, it would produce methane, and would need water to survive.
      • In a matter of minutes, the hallway is not barren and lonely; it teems with life and sound.
      • The fine paintings of Kota bring alive the teeming life of the hills of Rajasthan.
      • There are fine examples of native trees with their names on them, and plenty of bird life.
      • As they entered, they walked through a hallway and into the living room in search of a sign of life.
      • It is a haven for bird life and other wildlife - roe deer and red squirrels can often be spotted from the house.
      Synonyms
      living things, living beings, living creatures, the living

  • 2The existence of an individual human being or animal.

    生命（指人或动物的肉体存在）

    a disaster that claimed the lives of 266 Americans

    一场夺去266名美国人生命的大灾难。

    she didn't want to die; she loved life

    她不想死，她热爱生命。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • Her campaigns to save animal lives have made headlines around the world.
    • It's their profits they are weeping over, not the animals' lives.
    • We insist that the law protect the lives of human beings with special firmness and care.
    • Zambia will benefit more if the lives of animals in forest reserves are preserved and protected against poachers.
    • Those of us who presume to speak for the lives of individual animals need to observe our subjects very carefully indeed.
    • Long ambulance journeys are putting the lives of severely ill patients at risk, according to the first research to test the government's plans to close some A&E departments.
    • The jubilation of a Welsh rugby success turned to tragedy at the weekend when a car crash claimed the lives of two young men.
    • One of the defining evils of terrorism is that it uses human beings' lives to send a political message.
    • So he owes us an explanation why only the lives of human beings are sacred.
    • The accident involving a truck and a car claimed the lives of five people.
    • An individual life is a small thing, which must be seized and relished in equal measure.
    • The lives of several animals, which were staying there overnight, were put at risk.
    • The farmer was trying to protect the lives of many animals through what he did.
    • The lives of most wild animals will be terminated by violence, by starvation, or by disease.
    • Two men are fighting for their lives after a head-on car smash in Radcliffe.
    • Wild animals and tropical diseases claim the lives of thousands of laborers.
    • Three children are fighting for their lives after the car they were in plunged into a lake yesterday afternoon.
    • The mammal society said these features could be used to identify hotspots where action could be taken to save animal lives.
    • I think definitely it should be done if it involves the lives of human beings.
    • A high-speed head-on car crash claimed the lives of a teenager and two elderly women, an inquest heard.
    • In no time at all, this network of like-minded individuals is developing a life of its own.
    Synonyms
    person, human being, individual, mortal, soul, creature
    1. 2.1with adjective or noun modifier A particular type or aspect of people's existence.
      （某种特定的）生活，生活的某方面
      his father decided to start a new life in California

      他爸爸决定在加利福尼亚开始新生活。

      an experienced teacher will help you settle into school life

      经验丰富的老师会帮助你适应校园生活。

      revelations about his private life

      有关他私生活的披露。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • And this again is true for each one of you, in all that you do in your own individual lives.
      • One only has to look at refugee law to see international law having a direct affect on individual lives.
      • Despite her filial devotion, Moore did not leave college expecting to spend her adult life with her mother.
      • The acting matron, who's worked at Lynwood for 19 years, says residents enjoy full social lives.
      • Much progress have been achieved in all aspects of their daily lives.
      • The play aims to give a humorous portrayal of the everyday life of normal mums.
      • Shakespeare probably ruined my social life at this school also, for all I know.
      • You need discipline to get results in your social, sporting and professional lives but too many individuals here take a soft option.
      • Gen Xers refuse to sacrifice their personal lives for the sake of the job.
      • Wouldn't this kind of attitude to the religious life be seen as somewhat dangerous?
      • The worldly life and the religious life are always considered two sides of a coin in Islam.
      • Have we forgotten that interaction and association are important factors in the social lives of humans?
      • I had also spent most of my working life writing profiles of people for newspapers.
      • In our everyday lives, we treat animals as a means to our ends, but we increasingly lack moral justifications for doing so.
      • There is a lot of talk in our group about applying spiritual practices to our business lives.
      • Is it possible for a couple to have a threesome without risking their love life?
      • Their polytheistic view influenced every aspect of their daily lives.
      • The novelist's story ends just as the literary lives of the historical Charles and Mary Lamb began.
      • How much we could all get by way of tax cuts if we could rebuild family life in this country!
      • The worst period in my working life was the period during the Thatcher years.
      Synonyms
      way of life, way of living, manner of living, lifestyle, situation, position, state, station, condition, set of circumstances, fate, lot
    2. 2.2 A biography.
      传记
      a life of Shelley

      雪莱的传记。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He also began work on his life of 17th century biographer and antiquarian John Aubrey.
      • There were various poems, legends, saint's lives, chronicles and similar literature.
      Synonyms
      biography, autobiography, life story, life history, memoir, history, profile
    3. 2.3 Either of the two states of a person's existence separated by death (as in Christianity and some other religious traditions)
      （基督教或某些其他宗教中所说的）今生，来世
      too much happiness in this life could reduce the chances of salvation in the next

      今生过多的幸福可能会减少来世获得超度的机会。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Either God is there or he isn't; either there is a life after death or there is not.
      • Do people find it possible to communicate across the life / death line through dreaming?
      • Afterlife energy is an unusual strand running through the life after death debate.
      • Since then, life after death as well as death between lives has been a fact for me, not just a belief.
      • Well sorry to tell you but if there is a life after death and you get there and don't like it then too bad.
      • You need proof in order to say that an argument for life after death is based on memories of former lives.
      Synonyms
      lifetime, life span, days, duration of life, allotted span, course of life, time on earth, existence, one's time, one's career, threescore years and ten, this mortal coil
    4. 2.4 Any of a number of successive existences in which a soul is held to be reincarnated (as in Hinduism and some other religious traditions).
      （印度教和其他宗教传说中认为灵魂多次轮回转世中的）一世
      Example sentencesExamples
      • It is only the rarest few who have come to earn this privilege in past lives.
      • In the case of many monks, it seems they could have memorized many things in past lives, so now it is like recalling that memory.
      • I know people who realise their past lives but I dunno for myself.
      • Well, through hypnotism people have supposedly been able to remember past lives.
      • There has been cases of young children allegedly remembering past lives.
      • But I'm not a believer in past lives, so I knew it was no echo from a previous existence.
      • Whether this is purely good luck or a punishment for the sins of past lives is a moot point.
      • At every opportunity he recalls deeds of kindness done to him by others, even in past lives.
      • He called the earth to witness his many good deeds of past lives and so justified his seat in that place.
      • I feel it is very certain that you are completing a journey that you have connected with in a past life.
      • Alleged memories of past lives are usually obtained by a procedure called hypnotic regression.
      • The knots are the karma you're born with from all your past lives, and the object of human life is to try and undo all those knots.
      • What exactly is the impersonal causal connection between the misdeeds in past lives and the painful events in this life?
      • If we had not accumulated good karma in past lives, then we might have taken birth in the lower realms.
      • She went to dozens, maybe hundreds of people who could purport to tell her her past lives to see if they would hook up in any way.
      • This continues for a long time over many lives until the soul recognizes itself and determines more and more the individual actions.
      • The suffering in this life is a punishment, but also an opportunity to exercise what I have learned from past lives.
      • I do believe in reincarnation, that we are reborn into another life with no past memory.
    5. 2.5 A chance to live after narrowly escaping death (with reference to the nine lives traditionally attributed to cats).
      幸免于死后的再生机会，新的生机（源于猫有九命的传说）
      Example sentencesExamples
      • To this day he is living not only as someone with nine lives, but he is living the life of a new man.
      • The puss used up one of her nine lives when she was spotted dodging the Ryanair Boeing 737 as it arrived from Dublin.
      • A cat used up all her nine lives after she survived almost three weeks trapped under floorboards without food or water.
      • A cat has to catch and kill only one rabies infected mouse and it too will be dead and buried long before it lives out its nine lives.
      • Ross the cat is looking for a new home before Christmas where he can retire and live out the rest of his nine lives.
      • It's also said that a cat has nine lives and we all hope the extra eight are enough to ensure they enjoy a long, happy life.
      • A lucky cat has used up most of its nine lives after surviving a 12-mile journey under the bonnet of a car.
      • The results were not reassuring, and by the time we took Fergus to the vet's the following day, we were convinced his nine lives were up.
      • She is fearless, obviously believing that cats really do have nine lives.
      • She says fighting an expressway is like struggling with a dragon with nine lives.
      • Finally the cat was hauled free, with all but one of her nine lives intact.
      • They take their feline personalities and act them for every one of their nine lives.
      • George is the survivor, the cat with nine lives, and he has an autobiography for every one of them.
      • She is a beautiful cat, albeit short of a tail, an eye, half an ear and five of her nine lives.
      • What's interesting about Hollywood stars is that they just seem to have nine lives.
      • Millie the cat risked one of her nine lives when she became stuck.
      • It's miraculous the cat has survived - it must have used up a couple of its nine lives.
      • A house next to the site of a proposed cattery is soon to be demolished and rebuilt… proving it, too, has nine lives.
      • If most cats have nine lives, this one must have at least double that.
      • He had already lost one of his nine lives after he was taken to a vet when he was run over by a car.

  • 3usually one's lifeThe period between the birth and death of a living thing, especially a human being.

    （人的）一生

    she has lived all her life in the country

    她的一生都是在乡下度过的。

    they became friends for life

    他们成了终生的朋友。

    I want to be with you for the rest of my life

    我希望能与你共度余生。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • These are the people who have been telling us to control our sexual appetites and stick to one partner for life.
    • It is guaranteed to grow for life, or at least into your old age, because of its genetic programming.
    • To live one's life according to one's true will is not the same as doing whatever one wants to do.
    • In reality, shaking a baby, if only for a few seconds, can damage the baby for life.
    • His stunning meltdown in a greenside bunker at 16 is the kind of experience that could scar a man for life.
    • It may have put me off female singers for life.
    • She suffered puncture wounds to both thighs and will be scarred for life.
    • The nub of flesh that pokes up out of the scar and the crater beneath it will be with me for life, I suspect.
    • He was latter crippled for life when he attempted a backspin on the ceiling of his high school gym.
    • He was probably scarred for life, but his parents must have been delighted at their ingenuity.
    • It has hatched from a culture where the idea of a job for life is dead and buried.
    • On the physical level, a car crash which brings you close to the point of death may leave you paralysed for life.
    • Yet the redundancy is also a reminder that there are no jobs for life any more, even in the most advanced industries.
    • Last month he was jailed for life for the arson deaths.
    • Should popes, who rule for life, retire if they become ill instead of dying in office?
    • It turns out he was a friend of the da Vinci family and has known the artist all his life.
    • Some children died of polio stroke and some others have become handicapped for life.
    • There is no job for life - only a life of worry about how to make ends meet and whether your pension will last as long as you.
    • Some priests and priestesses served for life, others for a set period, usually a year.
    • Remember, your child will have a loyal friend for life if you start them out right together.
    Synonyms
    lifetime, life span, days, duration of life, allotted span, course of life, time on earth, existence, one's time, one's career, threescore years and ten, this mortal coil
    1. 3.1 The period during which something inanimate or abstract continues to exist, function, or be valid.
      （物品的）使用寿命；（抽象事物的）有效期
      underlay helps to prolong the life of a carpet

      衬垫物有助于延长地毯的使用寿命。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Battery life depends so much on usage that we didn't carry out a specific duration test.
      • Meanwhile new moments in the life of the nation continue to inspire songs.
      • The lids seal tight, prolonging the shelf life of the contents.
      • The product's proprietary plastic bottle also prevents light-induced oxidation and helps to prolong its shelf life.
      • This refers to the life of the machine and cannot be transferred to the next one you purchase.
      • The answerphone has storage for only 20 minutes of messages, but battery life is good.
      Synonyms
      duration, active life, lifetime, existence, functioning period, period of effectiveness, period of usefulness, validity, efficacy
    2. 3.2informal A sentence of imprisonment for life.
      〈非正式〉终身监禁的判决
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He was sentenced to life in December last year for the murders of the girls.
      • He was sentenced to life, and must serve a minimum of nine years before he is eligible for parole.
      • In England and Wales the same offence is treated as rape where the maximum sentence can be life.
      • He was a tough Scotsman and had been sentenced to life for the murder of a man in a drunken brawl.
      • There was a huge public outcry when he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life.
      • He was sentenced to life and is currently in Wakefield top security prison.

  • 4Vitality, vigor, or energy.

    活力，精力

    she was beautiful and full of life

    她美丽而且充满活力。

    Example sentencesExamples
    • The two of them together are a dynamic team, full of energy, life and very headstrong.
    • She was a wonderful woman, the life and soul, full of energy, always telling stories.
    • They were full of energy and life and argued their convictions against the war convincingly.
    • In other words, squeeze the life out of the game and see if they can sneak a goal and cling doggedly to the lead.
    • She is smiling in a swimsuit, or rather laughing, and her eyes are alive with life.
    • The juxtaposition of my somewhat flatly morbid work with the life and vitality of the farm is quite provoking.
    Synonyms
    vivacity, animation, liveliness, vitality, verve, high spirits, sparkle, exuberance, zest, buoyancy, effervescence, enthusiasm, energy, vigour, dynamism, go, elan, gusto, brio, bounce, spirit, spiritedness, activity, fire, panache, colour, dash, drive, push
    moving spirit, moving force, animating spirit, vital spirit, spirit, vital spark, life force, lifeblood, essence, core, heart, soul, strength, quintessence, substance

  • 5(in art) the depiction of a subject from a real model, rather than from an artist's imagination.

    （美术作品）以实物为原型（或根据活体模型而非根据想像）的创作，写真艺术

    the pose and clothing were sketched from life

    姿势和衣服都是以实物为原型描画出来的。

    See also still life
    as modifier life drawing
    Example sentencesExamples
    • As a result it became a real practical proposition to use the apparatus for making drawings from life.
    • Anybody who has ever drawn from life can tell you that drawing is like touching.
    • The large back room features portraits drawn from life - the actual rather than the ideal.
    • Already his painting recorded a scene of a disappearing London that had been painted from life.
    • I trained as a painter initially, and spent a lot of my time drawing from life.
    • From this process emerges spontaneous sketches and studied works from life or the imagination.
    • It took him a mere two hours to sculpt his subject from life in wax before going on to mould the likeness in his unique paste.
    • At this period El Greco did not paint from life, except for the heads in his portraits.

Phrases

  • do anything for a quiet life

    • Make any concession to avoid being disturbed.

      尽力不被打扰

      Example sentencesExamples
      • But you get the feeling he'll do anything for a quiet life.
      • The amount I donate is pathetically little compared to how much I spend on books, but there you are - we've already established I do anything for a quiet life.
      • I will normally do anything for a quiet life but on this occasion I couldn't.

  • for dear (or one's) life

    • As if or in order to escape death.

      逃命似地，拼命地

      I clung to the tree for dear life

      我死命抱住那棵树。

      Sue struggled free and ran for her life

      苏挣脱后，拼命地逃走了。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • And they should have run for their life when they discovered the foul-smelling swamp nearby.
      • From the nature of her injuries, it was apparent that Jodi had fought desperately for her life.
      • They ran for their life and climbed a tree when the waves came.
      • Put it this way: of the current team, who would you most like batting for your life?
      • You don't give a damn if you feel you are fighting for your life.
      • After he had been interrogated, and fearing for his life, he escaped through a police station window.
      • Today, she is desperately fighting for her life in hospital and a bone marrow transplant is the only thing that could cure her.
      • If you hear a candidate say, ‘I'd like to plant a thought in your mind,’ you'd better run for your life.
      • I spent days three and four fighting for my life, desperate to gain the trust of my opponents.
      • Decaying gangs of the shambling undead fire out words and phrases at you, and you have to hammer them back, quickly, accurately, desperately, typing for your life.
      Synonyms
      desperately, with all one's might, with might and main, urgently, with urgency, vigorously, with as much vigour as possible, for all one is worth, as fast as possible, as hard as possible, like the devil

  • for the life of me

    • informal However hard I try; even if my life depended on it.

      〈非正式〉无论如何，即使要我的命

      I can't for the life of me understand what it is you see in that place

      我无论如何也不明白你到底在那里看见了什么。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I cannot, for the life of me, understand why this book has made me dwell on my lack of friendships this evening.
      • My mind goes blank, my heart beatboxes inside my chest, my skin tingles and dampens and I cannot, for the life of me, think of anything to say.
      • I can't, for the life of me, think why I stopped using it as an alarm clock!
      • I could not, for the life of me, find my wedge of Parmesan cheese.
      • I also remember someone miming rather badly too, but for the life of me can't remember who they were, which is probably just as well.
      • I knew that book as well as I knew my own name, but as a child I could not, for the life of me, explain what it meant to me.
      • They came flat, encased between two pieces of hard clear plastic, which I could not open for the life of me.
      • However, for the life of me, I will never know how they hatch their young among these sun-oiled simmering tourists!
      • There's some subtle difference which, for the life of me, I cannot see.
      • Now, for the life of me, I can't figure out what the priest is getting at here.

  • frighten the life out of

    • Terrify.

      吓掉…的魂

      Example sentencesExamples
      • ‘I think the biggest danger is well-meaning people frightening the life out of youngsters by pulling figures out of the air,’ Mr Johnson said.
      • Say we didn't pick up on something and there was an accident, we would be the ones liable and that frightens the life out of me.
      • My wife was just coming up to bed and it frightened the life out of her.
      • He said: ‘It frightens the life out of you, something like this.’
      • With her unreasonable, one-issue agenda, she frightens the life out of me.
      • But when they're good, they're very, very good, as they showed when frightening the life out of France.
      • The health warnings, while over-the-top, succeeded in frightening the life out of most people and forced them to consider safer practices.
      • How does one tell the whole truth without frightening the life out of your date?
      • So it was that in 1394 the young king landed at Waterford and, like others in later times, decided that he would adopt a strategy of ‘shock and awe’ that would frighten the life out of the Irish.
      • I don't know why I felt certain she inhabited the upstairs bathtub, waiting for me to saunter in before pouncing and frightening the life out of me.
      Synonyms
      frighten, make afraid, make fearful, make nervous, panic, throw into a panic

  • get a life

    • informal often in imperativeStart living a fuller or more interesting existence.

      〈非正式〉开始过更为充实和有意思的生活，开始新生活

      if he's a lout, then get yourself out of there and get a life

      如果他是个废物，你就干脆离开那里，去开始你自己的新生活。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • I have got a life and I don't need to live vicariously through others in a sort of blog-related addiction.
      • As you can see, things have calmed down since last month and I have, as they say, got a life.
      • Now it's about time that these guys got a life and came out of the dark ages - they're living in the Civil War era!
      • In a similar vein one can't help thinking most people would be better off forgetting about lifestyles and getting a life.
      • But with both the league, union and rules seasons about to start, it really is time certain rugby union types got a life and focused on the challenges and problems facing their own code and leave rugby league to our own!
      • ‘Laura's now got a life and it's made us realise the value of being together,’ he said.
      • Most of us must make a fateful choice: should we devote our time and talent to making a living - or to getting a life?
      • The official version is that she wants to get a life, sceptics say she counted up the votes and thought she would lose, but more intriguing is the theory that she saw the way things were moving and began to fear that she might win.
      • They're people who, you know, quite frankly need to get a life.
      • So I finally decided to act like the social being anthropologists tell me I'm meant to be, and got a life.

  • give one's life for

    • Die for.

      为…而献身

      Example sentencesExamples
      • She spoke out and gave her life for not only civil rights but human rights.
      • Perhaps one of the things war monuments and graves do is to make you reflect on whether you would have the mettle to give your life for what you felt was right.
      • And they know that I'm willing to take risks, and this is something that I would be willing to give my life for, because I believe in it.
      • There is nothing worth giving your life for, it's all about survival.
      • Altruism, support, self-sacrifice, of the kind that sprang up rather startlingly in the third stanza - ‘I give my life for that’ - are viewed with a prevailing cynicism.
      • That tenacity led to Steve giving his life for the public he was proud to serve.
      • I think you aren't wholly alive until you know what you would be willing to give your life for.
      • This ‘good’ guy, who is invariably a ‘superman’, can beat up a minimum of 20 to 30 baddies, and has a girl he will give his life for.
      • She was touched, and added yet another member to her brief list of people she loved and adored and would gladly give her life for.
      • I smile and think of the woman I love, the children that I would give my life for.
      Synonyms
      die, lay down one's life, sacrifice oneself

  • (as) large as life

    • informal Used to emphasize that a person is conspicuously present.

      〈非正式〉 用于强调某人的确在场确确实实

      he was standing nearby, large as life

      千真万确，他当时就站在旁边。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • A cheetah bounds into a picture, large as life, head thrown back and maw wide, roaring or yawning over a rib cage.
      • I doubt that you would sanction drinking and gambling on such a scale, but there you are as large as life, directly above the club's reception desk.
      • Suddenly Peggy just appeared at the side door as large as life.
      • Even sadder was the mid-2002 suddenness with which Our Man Geoffrey, large as life, disappeared from the small screen.
      • Here he was today in Parliament, large as life, and there was not one single question on the Order Paper from the Leader of the Opposition.
      • But when they lined up for the team picture before their Champions League semi-final, there he was, large as life, and preserved for posterity.
      • ‘They were in again last night, large as life,’ he murmured.
      • In their original testimony, they claimed to have been working when he wandered in, large as life, in the company of a man resembling the person described by her as their attacker.
      • The scar is still on my hip, large as life and on our wall next to the front door is a picture of Angela, Alex and me in the hospital, posing for a picture.
      • The Case of the Missing Elephant is soon solved, for, behold, five pages further on there is the selfsame caption with the correct picture, and the elusive pachyderm large as life in the foreground.

  • larger than life

    • 1(of a person) attracting special attention because of unusual and flamboyant appearance or behavior.

      （人）（因外表时髦或行为举止大胆而）引人注目的，（行为、服饰等）与众不同的

      Scorsese's stories have always featured larger-than-life characters
      Example sentencesExamples
      • He is a colourful character, larger than life, fun, friendly and always joking.
      • The larger than life owner attracted some of the biggest acts of the 60s and 70s to a grateful Leigh, as well as raising thousands of pounds for local charities.
      • Perhaps being ‘one note’ is what makes them memorable & larger than life.
      • He was a larger than life character - jovial, outgoing, hugely personable.
      • But he can't make himself larger than life, and neither can his cult followers, no matter how hard they try.
      • It was meant to be, like, noir sort of style, so it's set in a completely unreal universe that doesn't represent anything in the world, and all the people are larger than life.
      • They came from all parts of the country and overseas to bid their fond farewells to a man who was larger than life and who worked so hard for his constituents in his beloved Roscommon.
      • And it was as if he was suddenly larger than life, a living breathing projection of my own wilted self-image.
      • He's got that movie star quality happening - there's something larger than life about his frame, his presence.
      • ‘It's about the last time that you believe in people as larger than life,’ he says.
      1. 1.1(of a thing) seeming disproportionately important.
        （事物）显得特别重要的
        your problems seem larger than life at that time of night

        在晚上那个时候，你的问题显得特别重要。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • It was meant to be, like, noir sort of style, so it's set in a completely unreal universe that doesn't represent anything in the world, and all the people are larger than life.
        • They came from all parts of the country and overseas to bid their fond farewells to a man who was larger than life and who worked so hard for his constituents in his beloved Roscommon.
        • He's got that movie star quality happening - there's something larger than life about his frame, his presence.
        • And it was as if he was suddenly larger than life, a living breathing projection of my own wilted self-image.
        • The larger than life owner attracted some of the biggest acts of the 60s and 70s to a grateful Leigh, as well as raising thousands of pounds for local charities.
        • But he can't make himself larger than life, and neither can his cult followers, no matter how hard they try.
        • ‘It's about the last time that you believe in people as larger than life,’ he says.
        • Perhaps being ‘one note’ is what makes them memorable & larger than life.
        • He was a larger than life character - jovial, outgoing, hugely personable.
        • He is a colourful character, larger than life, fun, friendly and always joking.

  • the life of the party

    • A vivacious and sociable person.

      社交活跃分子

      Example sentencesExamples
      • She has a vivacious personality and is easily the life of the party wherever she goes.
      • Three days before her death, we held our annual Happy Halloween party, and she was the life of the party.
      • Trying to avoid drunkenness is pretty tough in this culture, and it doesn't exactly make you the life of the party.
      • Described as vivacious and the life and soul of the party, she was never short of an invitation to a charity gala on South Africa's high society circuit.
      • Once you're re-charged, you'll be the life of the party!
      • I have a policy that I'm the the life of the party.
      • Everyone seems to like you since you are funny and the life of the party.
      • He's not the life of the party, but he's the guy talking about the life of the party, or making fun of the life of the party.
      • She was the life of the party, and I can't imagine that's changed, wherever she may be.
      • Your friends think you are the life of the party.

  • one's life's work

    • The work (especially that of an academic or artistic nature) accomplished in or pursued throughout someone's lifetime.

      （尤指学术研究或文艺创作）毕生之作；终生事业

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Dharma implies that each of us has unique talents waiting to be expressed through our life's work.
      • Like the swarms of people who flock to Web sites devoted to the study of genealogy, company owners who fall into their life's work through happenstance or inheritance may feel rootless, even disaffected.
      • The artist has finished what he once called his life's work and now lives in sheltered housing in Manchester.
      • What's it like to see a huge chunk of your life's work in one volume?
      • After 20 years and 11 albums, he takes stock of his life's work in a new collection of his most famous songs.
      • Some people, when they're told they have terminal illnesses, start planning for after life: writing memoirs, completing their life's work, sorting through their photo albums or whatever.
      • The son seems to have made posturing against his father's accomplishments and beliefs his life's work.
      • At the same time, she always found her life conditions, as an impecunious single woman editing and translating the work of great men, to be unpropitious for even defining much less accomplishing her life's work.
      • Paul's position was not academic theory; it was a statement of his life's work.
      • At the late career stage, faculty members begin putting together their life's work, although some use this period to pursue entirely new agendas.

  • lose one's life

    • Be killed.

      丧生

      he lost his life in a car accident

      他在一次交通事故中丧生。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Well, thank God so far nobody has lost their life.
      • The man who killed him also lost his life, but it was generally agreed that the sacrifice was worth it.
      • It is terrible that someone has lost their life and that we have also lost such a historic building.
      • Samson still lost his life, but he knew that they were going to kill him anyway.
      • Luckily this time no-one lost their life, but 11 people have been killed in 70 days of chaos on our roads, and police are predicting more carnage in the summer months ahead.
      • His son Joe lost his life when attempting to do likewise in 1862.
      • We're very sad that somebody has lost their life and would like to send our sympathies to the family.
      • The deceased lorry driver lost his life when he was forced to swerve his vehicle in an effort to avoid a small boy and drove into a lamp post.
      • Every time an innocent person lost their life, he was heart-broken.
      • I nearly lost my life and it's made me appreciate every single day.
      Synonyms
      pass away, pass on, lose one's life, depart this life, expire, breathe one's last, draw one's last breath, meet one's end, meet one's death, lay down one's life, be no more, perish, be lost, go the way of the flesh, go the way of all flesh, go to glory, go to one's last resting place, go to meet one's maker, cross the great divide, cross the styx

  • a matter of life and death

    • A matter of vital importance.

      生死攸关的事

      Example sentencesExamples
      • ‘It's a matter of life and death, really,’ he said, referring to the need for proper safety procedures.
      • However, for people who need vital organs replaced, the deficiencies of artificial substitutes are a matter of life and death.
      • The old fans' line says that football is not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that.
      • Prevention is a matter of public health for governments, but a matter of life and death for individuals.
      • Yet as well as turning York into one big traffic jam, these roadworks are also making life even more difficult for ambulance drivers, whose journeys are essential and can be a matter of life and death.
      • Unionization was necessary; it was literally a matter of life and death.
      • The ultimate outcome could be a matter of life and death.
      • Whether his weekly column was on writing clearly, resisting tyranny or making tea, he always made it sound like a matter of life and death.
      • ‘I will not operate on you unless it's a matter of life and death,’ the surgeon told me.
      • It is a truth barely appreciated that government not only matters, but it is a matter of life and death that the right people run it.
      Synonyms
      vitally important, of vital importance, all-important, vital, crucial, critical, essential, of the essence, a matter of life and death, of great consequence, necessary, indispensable, exigent, pressing, urgent

  • not on your life

    • informal Said to emphasize one's refusal to comply with a request.

      〈非正式〉 用于强调拒绝绝不可能，休想

      “I want to see Clare alone.” “Not on your life,” said Buzz

      “我要单独见见克莱尔。”“休想，"巴兹说。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It will continue to happen but as for just a stunt, not on your life Robyn.
      • M. thinks it's awful and wanted to get in here and paint everything white and put down carpet and I told her not on your life, this room is mine.
      • Mac smiled: ‘Speaking for myself, I'd say ‘not on your life.’

  • save someone's (or one's own) life

    救别人（或自己）一命

    • 1Prevent someone's (or one's own) death.

      救别人（或自己）一命

      the driver of the truck managed to save his life by leaping out of the cab

      火车司机跳出驾驶室，总算逃过一死。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He was only going to surrender under the threat of death to save his own life.
      • If he decided to jump off the train and saved his own life, he could do so without injury.
      • He blamed himself for saving his own life instead of returning to the burning buildings to help others.
      • Will the fundamental design of that equipment in fact save my life, or will it actually take it from me?
      • But just as they came to the top, a big rig was coming towards them, and to save his own life, the driver in the truck swung back to the appropriate side.
      • How could anyone be so desperate to save their own life when it means the deaths of so many other people?
      • One camel is rejected at birth by its mother and the family goes to great lengths to save its life.
      • The death of the mammal should not blind us to the excellence of the steps taken to save its life.
      • Train your dog to basic obedience which makes it easy to live with and may one day save its life.
      • Our ability to connect with our inner self could well save our life and that of the planet!
      1. 1.1informal Provide much-needed relief from boredom or a difficult situation.
        〈非正式〉使烦闷缓解；摆脱困境

  • see life

    • Gain a wide experience of the world, especially its more pleasurable aspects.

      见世面，长见识

      Example sentencesExamples
      • The camp activities not only brought these children from such diverse places but also gave them an opportunity to see life in the raw.
      • But for those who only want to see life through the lens of the camera, the festival is probably a good option.
      • And - and to me, here was a chance to jump off that kind of wagon and see life for real.
      • But if you want to see life as it is and travel and meet other people, buy a motorhome, Ron said.

  • bring (or come) to life

    • 1Regain or cause to regain consciousness or return as if from death.

      复苏，使死而复生

      all this was of great interest to her, as if she were coming to life after a long sleep

      这一切都让她十分感兴趣，使她觉得像是从沉睡中苏醒过来一样。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • He died and came to life again and hence conquered death.
      1. 1.1(with reference to a fictional character or inanimate object) cause or seem to be alive or real.
        赋予（虚构的人物或无生命的物体）生命，使…活过来
        he brings the character of MacDonald to life with power and precision

        他通过着力刻画和细致描写将麦克唐纳这个人物表现得栩栩如生。

        all the puppets came to life again

        所有的木偶又都活灵活现了。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • I defy the most cynical not to be struck dumb by the character parade, which comes to life to the tune of the Nutcracker ballet.
        • The paradoxical implication is rather delicious: Instead of a real dancer playing a puppet who comes to life and dies, here is a real puppet who comes to life as an idealized human being and achieves immortality.
        • Even better were the real life characters brought to life by the cast of players who were involved every week.
        • Simon is another character who comes to life as never before.
        • Children relate to puppets from their earliest years as they are used to making inanimate characters come to life.
        • I had to be objective so that the characters could come to life, so that the work could have shape.
        • The thing I love most about the job is animating and making your character come to life.
        • But audiences willingly collude in that pretence and (when it's done well) rejoice in the characters it brings to life.
        • As all children know, the minute you leave your room, your toys come to life.
        • He had a supernatural presence, almost like a fictional character come to life.
      2. 1.2Make or become active, lively, or interesting.
        使活泼（有趣）
        soon, with the return of the peasants and fishermen, the village comes to life again

        农民和渔夫都回来了，小村不久又恢复了生气。

        you can bring any room to life with these coordinating cushions

        有了这些配套坐垫，你就可以使任何一个房间都充满生机。

        Example sentencesExamples
        • It was very interesting to see their urban mural come to life and develop.
        • The village of Gorthganny came to life with the sound of traditional music, song & dance recently.
        • Houses have stories to tell, and it's only in the hands of a good guide that the anecdote-laden rooms truly come to life.
        • It never ceased to amaze him how she could make a long reading assignment come to life and be interesting.
        • The room just came to life at the end of the day when the educators in the room started talking about using weblogs in their coursework.
        • It's interesting what you say about how a film can be brought to life again and pulled into the 21st century by something a bit more contemporary.
        • None other than Dylan Thomas, with his rhetorical verse, could have brought to life with such gaiety and compassion the little fishing village of Llareggub.
        • Thankfully, I found a small lantern with oil still in it, so I lit it and the room came to life.
        • But it's so inept on every level that even scenes that have an inherent, almost foolproof interest fail to come to life.
        • Still, i have to admit the villain's outfit is brilliant, especially the face, and the trailer seems interesting, as the period was well brought to life.
        Synonyms
        become active, become lively, come alive, wake up, awaken, waken, show signs of life, arouse, rouse, stir, emerge

  • take someone's (or one's own) life

    救别人（或自己）一命

    • Kill someone (or oneself).

      杀人；自杀

      Example sentencesExamples
      • It brought it back, a lot of painful memories but it helped me to, you know, put a face to the person that killed my sister, and almost took my life, and it just it was helpful.
      • You should be able to designate that if you reach that certain stage and cannot take your own life, it will be done for you.
      • She meant that as her last loyalty she would kill my daughter while I took my own life.
      • But if we did have a parrot such as the one Locke described, surely it would be as morally wrong to take its life without good reason as it would to kill a human being.
      • He thought that no one would know that he killed her, that he took her life.
      • It must be an very sad place to be for victims, when they see no hope other than the ultimate step of taking your own life.
      • Stones kill, and as these instruments of death were taking his life, his last act was in service to others.
      • The coroner recorded verdicts that the boys were unlawfully killed and their father took his own life.
      • Taking your own life because of a threatening situation was like killing a child in our family.
      • Well I almost robbed a bank and in the process my brother was killed and I took a man's life.

  • that's life

    • An expression of one's acceptance of a situation, however difficult.

      表示接受无论多么困难的情况这就是生活，生活本来就是如此

      we'll miss each other, but still, that's life

      我们彼此会想念对方，但是，这就是生活。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • One approach is to accept that that's life, and people have to make choices for themselves and their kids.
      • My close friends have been very supportive of my modelling, but some of them have been difficult, but I guess that's life.
      • We certainly can't complain on how the place is built because that's life.
      • It just did not happen for us on the day but then that's life.
      • It has been pretty difficult, but that's life, isn't it?
      • Most of the time we don't manage it, but that's life; communication is a difficult business.
      • Even in training my team-mates go all out to get me, but that's life.
      • But that's life, you have just got to get on with it and I'm happy where I am just now.
      • I might think up another idea for a show or a song and I don't let rejections put me off because that's life.
      • Yes, we do rotate some around a bit, but that's life.
      Synonyms
      the way of the world, the world, the way things go, the way of it, the human condition, the times we live in, the usual state of affairs, the school of hard knocks

  • this is the life

    • An expression of contentment with one's present circumstances.

      表示对现状心满意足这才叫生活

      Ice cubes clinked in crystal glasses. “This is the life,” she said

      水晶杯里的冰块发出叮当的碰撞声。“这才叫生活，"她说。

      Example sentencesExamples
      • ‘Ahhh, this is the life,’ Long purred, stretching out his arms.
      • ‘Now, this is the life,’ Marta said a few minutes later as they stood near the ocean's edge, drinking smoothies.
      • By ‘personal values,’ I mean what gets you excited; what makes your heart sing; what makes you feel like, ‘yes, this is the life!’
      • Bronzed bodies and muscles, ah yes this is the life and I am enjoying every minute of it.
      • After I directed, when I went back to being an actor, I was like, ‘God, this is the life!’
      • ‘Now this is the life,’ she mumbled contented with the flowing music.
      • ‘Max, this is the life,’ I said as I looked around the living room.
      • I'm not sure many of the holidaymakers here were too happy when 20-odd footballers all barged into the hotel reception but, you have to say, this is the life!
      • ‘Man, this is the life,’ he continues, lighting up a huge brown cigar.
      • ‘Yes, this is the life for me,’ he said out loud, to himself.

  • to the life

    • Exactly like the original.

      惟妙惟肖的，活脱脱的

      there he was, Nathan to the life, sitting at a table

      他就在那里，活脱脱就是内森坐在桌边。

  • to save one's life

    • with modal and negativeEven if one's life were to depend on it.

      无论如何都不愿意，死也不肯

      she couldn't stop crying now to save her life

      她无论如何也不肯停止哭泣。

  • take one's life in one's own hands

    • Risk being killed.

      丧生

      Example sentencesExamples
      • Sometimes I feel like I'm taking my life in my hands on the road but I have no choice because I can't manage on the footpath.
      • Even walking down the small road outside the Coven now involves taking your life in your hands, because there are no footpaths and people insist on driving at 70 or 80 mph around blind bends.
      • I set off on this particular bus journey as dusk was approaching, little realising that I was about to take my life in my hands.
      • He described the attack as a reflex action: ‘Anybody who had planned a snipe from that position would have literally been taking his life in his hands.’
      • ‘People go down there much too quickly all the time - you take your life in your hands if you try to cross the road,’ said one resident.
      • Yesterday I took my life in my hands and cleared out my garage.
      • Anybody who crosses it walking, especially in July and August, is taking their life in their hands.
      • I also took my life in my hands by visiting a Kurdish barber.
      • Today I took my life in my hands and spent it in the company of many three-year-olds!
      • If you want to cross the road, you are taking your life in your hands.

Origin

Old English līf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lijf, German Leib ‘body’, also to live.

noun.1
phr.
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更新时间：2024/11/11 10:14:42