Thefirealarmgoes offaccidentallyso often that when it's therealthing(= when it really doeshappen)nobody will take anynotice.火灾报警器常常瞎响，到时候真的着火时发警报也没有人会注意了。
the same thing
B1
the same:
同样的事物
Training isn't the same thingaseducation.培训与教育并不一样。
the whole thing
B2
everything that has beenplannedordiscussed:
一切（计划或讨论过的）事情
Let'scallthewholething off.此事就此作罢吧。
Iwanttoforgetthewholething.我想忘掉这一切。
above all things
more than everythingelse:
比其他任何事情都重要
Ivaluemyfreedomabove all things.我把自由看得比什么都重要。
in all things
in everysituationorsubject; in everything:
在一切事情上；在各种情况下
Betrueto yourself in all things.任何时候都要坚持按自己的想法做。
if there's one thing I want to know, find out, etc.
said beforedescribingwhat it is that youespeciallywanttoknow:
有一件事我想知道
If there's one thing Iwanttoknow, it's where he goes onThursdayafternoons.有一件事我想知道，就是他每个星期四下午都到哪里去了。
More examples
What anutterlystupidthing to do!
The mosturgentthing to do in afireis to makesureeveryone is out of thebuilding.
Myweddingwas the mostnerve-rackingthing I'veeverexperienced.
That was ahorriblething to say!
You'd neverbelievesome of the things thathappenin theoffice.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Objects - general words
affair
Americana
artefact
blank
column
conversation piece
curio
entity
ephemera
extrusion
forensics
gewgaw
non-abstract
object
phenomenon
piece
shape
snow globe
such and such
tchotchke
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Information and messages
Reality and truth
Similar and the same
Something, anything, nothing, and everything
Large in number or quantity
Expressions used to describe situations
Stressing & emphasizing
thingnoun(SITUATION)
thingsB1[plural]
used to refer to thegeneralsituation:
情况；形势
Things have been going very wellrecently.最近情况很好。
it's a good thing
B2
If it's a good thing that somethinghappened, it isluckythat ithappened:
幸好
It's a good thing(that)webookedourticketsearly.幸好我们早订了票。
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
having good things happen by chance
luckyTwo lucky winners will be treated to an all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas!
fortunateIt was fortunate that he wasn't injured in the accident.
it's a good thingIt's a good thing we bought travel insurance for our trip since it was cancelled.
it's a good jobUKIt's a good job they didn't go camping this weekend - the weather's been awful.
luck outUSThe Giants really lucked out in last night's game.
See more results »
the way things are(alsoas things stand)
in thepresentsituation:
从目前情况来看
The way things are, I'll never have thisreadybyJune.从目前情况来看，6月份前我绝对无法把这一切准备好。
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Situations and circumstances
affair
backdrop
background
busyness
circumstance
comedy of errors
condition
farce
footing
going
landscape
matrix
perfect storm
position
practicality
scheme
situation
situational
stake
the scheme of thingsidiom
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Good luck and bad luck
thingnoun(ANYTHING/EVERYTHING)
a thingB1[S]
usedinsteadof "anything" toemphasizewhat you are saying:
Don'tworryabout a thing. I'll takecareof it.
More examples
I couldn'tseea thing because myglasseshadfoggedup.
"Did ithurt?" "Not at all - I didn'tfeela thing."
I'mafraidthere's not adamnthing you can do about it.
I didn't have to do a thing - Robin hadarrangedeverything.
He doesn't reallyknowa thing about thetheatre- he's justposing!
not a (single) thing
B2
not anything:
没有任何东西
After theguestshad gone, there wasn't a thinglefttoeat.客人走后，吃的东西一点都没剩。
not have a thing to wearB1humorous(alsohave nothing to wear)
to have noclothesthat aresuitablefor anoccasion:
没有合适的衣服可穿
I'm going to aweddingonSaturdayand I don't have a thing towear.我周六要去参加一个婚礼，可没有合适的衣服可穿。
there isn't a thingyoucan do
you cannot do anything:
无能为力；无计可施
Hebrokehispromiseand there wasn't a thing we could doaboutit.他不履行诺言，对此我们无计可施。
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Something, anything, nothing, and everything
across-the-board
anything
aught
bazillion
bubkes
fat
fresh
matter
nil
none
not a dicky birdidiom
not a sausageidiom
not/nothing muchidiom
summat
sweet
sweet fanny adamsidiom
what with one thing and anotheridiom
whatevs
whit
zero
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Wearing clothes
thingnoun(ACTION)
a/one thing[S]
used totalkabout aparticularaction,agreement, etc.:
一种事；这种事
I went byplane, a thing Ihardlyeverdo.我是乘飞机去的——我很少这样。
One thing you'll have toagreeto isworkingin theevenings.有件你必须同意的事，就是你得在晚上工作。
the ... thing[S]
used to makenounphraseswithparticularadjectivesandadverbs:
（构成带有特定形容词和副词的名词短语）
Thefirstthing (to do) is to writeyournameat thetopof thepaper.首先要做的就是把你的名字写在这一页的上方。
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Something, anything, nothing, and everything
across-the-board
anything
aught
bazillion
bubkes
fat
fresh
matter
nil
none
not a dicky birdidiom
not a sausageidiom
not/nothing muchidiom
summat
sweet
sweet fanny adamsidiom
what with one thing and anotheridiom
whatevs
whit
zero
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Linguistics: terminology & vocabulary
thingnoun(REASON)
for one thing
C2
used tointroduceareasonfor something:
首先；一方面
"Why won't you come to New York with me?" "For one thing, I don't likeflying, and for another, I can'taffordit."“你为什么不跟我到纽约来？”“首先，我不喜欢坐飞机；再者，我买不起机票。”
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Linguistics: connecting words which introduce a cause or reason
as
at
because
because of
case
courtesy
cuz
dint
except
except thatidiom
from
herein
inasmuch as
insofar as
order
owing to
since
through
virtue
with
See more results »
thingnoun(PERSON/ANIMAL)
B2[C]
used after anadjectiveto refer to apersonoranimalwithloveorsympathy:
Thefirealarmgoes offaccidentallyso often that when it's therealthing(= when it really doeshappen)nobody will take anynotice.火灾报警器常常瞎响，到时候真的着火时发警报也没有人会注意了。
the same thing
B1
the same
同样的事物
Training isn't the same thingaseducation.培训与教育并不一样。
the whole thing
B2
everything that has beenplannedordiscussed
一切（计划或讨论过的）事情
Let'scallthewholething off.此事就此作罢吧。
Iwanttoforgetthewholething.我想忘掉这一切。
above all things
more than everythingelse
比其他任何事情都重要
Ivaluemyfreedomabove all things.我把自由看得比什么都重要。
in all things
in everysituationorsubject; in everything
在一切事情上；在各种情况下
Betrueto yourself in all things.任何时候都要坚持按自己的想法做。
if there's one thing I want to know, find out, etc.
said beforedescribingwhat it is that youespeciallywanttoknow
有一件事我想知道
If there's one thing Iwanttoknow, it's where he goes onThursdayafternoons.有一件事我想知道，就是他每个星期四下午都到哪里去了。
More examples
What anutterlystupidthing to do!
The mosturgentthing to do in afireis to makesureeveryone is out of thebuilding.
Myweddingwas the mostnerve-rackingthing I'veeverexperienced.
That was ahorriblething to say!
You'd neverbelievesome of the things thathappenin theoffice.
thingnoun(SITUATION)
thingsB1[plural]
used to refer to thegeneralsituation
情况；形势
Things have been going very wellrecently.最近情况很好。
it's a good thing
B2
If it's a good thing that somethinghappened, it isluckythat ithappened.
幸好
It's a good thing(that)webookedourticketsearly.幸好我们早订了票。
the way things are(alsoas things stand)
in thepresentsituation
从目前情况来看
The way things are, I'll never have thisreadybyJune.从目前情况来看，6月份前我绝对无法把这一切准备好。
thingnoun(ANYTHING/EVERYTHING)
a thingB1[S]
usedinsteadof "anything" or "everything" toemphasizewhat you are saying
（表示强调）事情，东西
Don'tworryabout a thing(= anything). I'll takecareof it.什么事情也不要操心，我会料理好一切的。
More examples
I couldn'tseea thing because myglasseshadfoggedup.
"Did ithurt?" "Not at all - I didn'tfeela thing."
I'mafraidthere's not abloodything you can do about it.
I didn't have to do a thing - Robin hadarrangedeverything.
He doesn't reallyknowa thing about thetheatre- he's justposing!
not a (single) thing
B2
not anything
没有任何东西
After theguestshad gone, there wasn't a thinglefttoeat.客人走后，吃的东西一点都没剩。
not have a thing to wearB1humorous(alsohave nothing to wear)
to have noclothesthat aresuitablefor anoccasion
没有合适的衣服可穿
I'm going to aweddingonSaturdayand I don't have a thing towear.我周六要去参加一个婚礼，可没有合适的衣服可穿。
there isn't a thingyoucan do
you cannot do anything
无能为力；无计可施
Hebrokehispromiseand there wasn't a thing we could doaboutit.他不履行诺言，对此我们无计可施。
thingnoun(ACTION)
a/one thing[S]
used totalkabout aparticularaction,agreement, etc.
一种事；这种事
I went byplane, a thing Ihardlyeverdo.我是乘飞机去的——我很少这样。
One thing you'll have toagreeto isworkingin theevenings.有件你必须同意的事，就是你得在晚上工作。
the ... thing[S]
used to makenounphraseswithparticularadjectivesandadverbs
（构成带有特定形容词和副词的名词短语）
Thefirstthing (to do) is to writeyournameat thetopof thepaper.首先要做的就是把你的名字写在这一页的上方。
thingnoun(REASON)
for one thing
C2
used tointroduceareasonfor something
首先；一方面
"Why won't you come to New York with me?" "For one thing, I don't likeflying, and for another, I can'taffordit."“你为什么不跟我到纽约来？”“首先，我不喜欢坐飞机；再者，我买不起机票。”
thingnoun(PERSON/ANIMAL)
B2[C]
used after anadjectiveto refer to apersonoranimalwithloveorsympathy
There remain two classes of questions with regard to the relation of this predicate to other things.
From theCambridge English Corpus
We are back to the openness and vulnerability we have met so often: there is interaction here between belief and more general things.
From theCambridge English Corpus
One gives, among many good things, this anecdote.
From theCambridge English Corpus
They rank among the great things for which our race has lived.
From theCambridge English Corpus
As things are, agencies of the state - particularly education and the courts - not only promote but implement humanistic teaching.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The promise of vicarious living has always been one of the things that draw us to the past.
From theCambridge English Corpus
We mean by "quality of delivery service" such things as door, curbside or roadside line of travel delivery.
From theCambridge English Corpus
In this sense all experience involves interpretation, and 'no one sees things in their naked reality'.
From theCambridge English Corpus
When we become ordained to the state of renunciation, we must tolerate all things.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Space is not analyzed in terms of material things and their relations.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Every partial context must reproduce in some way the nature of things as it has been established in the whole picture.
From theCambridge English Corpus
When he turns outward toward things, what is the equivalent of clear, distinct, and univocal terms?
From theCambridge English Corpus
Their knowledge about categories - their ontogeny, history, and functions in the overall scheme of things within a specific culture - is necessarily limited by their experience.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The more things stay the same, the more they change.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Probably, and probably this inversion would be detectable by you, for you would recall how things used to appear.
From theCambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Collocationswiththing
thing
These are words often used in combination withthing.
Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.
amazing thing
Never got over it, it is the mostamazingthing.
From theCambridge English Corpus
annoying thing
That is theannoyingthing.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
astonishing thing
The mostastonishingthingabout the structure is the relation of building to landscape, not only strikingly beautiful but seemingly unforced and effortless.
From theCambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.