egg
noun/eɡ/
/eɡ/
Idioms 
enlarge image[countable] a small oval object with a thin hard shell produced by a female bird and containing a young bird; a similar object (without a hard shell) produced by a female fish, insect, etc.（鸟的）蛋；（鱼、昆虫等的）卵 - The female sits on the eggs until they hatch.
雌鸟伏在蛋上直到其孵化。 - The fish lay thousands of eggs at one time.
这种鱼一次产卵数千个。 - crocodile eggs
鳄鱼蛋
Collocations The living worldThe living worldAnimals- animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
- fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
- birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
- insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
- insects/bees/locusts swarm
- bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
- spiders spin/weave a web
- snakes/lizards shed their skins
- bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
- insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
- an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
- attract/find/choose a mate
- produce/release eggs/sperm
- lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
- inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
- mark/enter/defend (a) territory
- stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
- trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
- a seed germinates/sprouts
- leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
- flower buds swell/open
- a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
- pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
- produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
- produce/bear fruit
- develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
- provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
- perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
- bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
- bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
- bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
- bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
- a virus enters/invades something/the body
- a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
- be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
- contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
- kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
Extra ExamplesTopics Insects, worms, etc.a1, Fish and shellfisha1, Birdsa1- Many reptiles bury their eggs.
许多爬行动物把它们下的蛋掩埋起来。 - She lays a clutch of four eggs on average.
这只雌鸟平均一窝下四只蛋。 - The males stay and guard the eggs.
雄性动物留下来看护这些蛋。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fresh
- bad
- rotten
- …
- clutch
- box
- carton
- …
- lay
- produce
- deposit
- …
- hatch
- break
- crack
- …
- shell
- white
- yolk
- …
- the white of an egg
- the yolk of an egg
- bacon and eggs
- …
- The female sits on the eggs until they hatch.
- [countable, uncountable] a bird’s egg, especially one from a chicken, that is eaten as food
（用作食物的）禽蛋；（尤指）鸡蛋 - a boiled egg
煮蛋 - bacon and eggs
熏肉加煎蛋 - fried/poached/scrambled eggs
煎蛋；荷包蛋；炒蛋 - Bind the mixture together with a little beaten egg.
用少许打匀的蛋液将混合料搅拌在一起。 - You've got some egg on your shirt.
你的衬衣上沾了些蛋。 - egg yolks/whites
蛋黄；蛋白 - egg noodles
鸡蛋面 - hen's/duck/quail eggs
鸡蛋；鸭蛋；鹌鹑蛋 - a chocolate egg (= made from chocolate in the shape of an egg)
巧克力蛋
Extra ExamplesTopics Fooda1- Crack two eggs into the mixture.
打两只蛋到混合料中。 - Separate the eggs, putting the whites to one side.
把蛋分开，蛋清拨到一边。 - We're just decorating eggs for the egg hunt.
我们正在为彩蛋搜寻活动画彩蛋。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fresh
- bad
- rotten
- …
- clutch
- box
- carton
- …
- lay
- produce
- deposit
- …
- hatch
- break
- crack
- …
- shell
- white
- yolk
- …
- the white of an egg
- the yolk of an egg
- bacon and eggs
- …
- a boiled egg
- [countable] (in women and female animals) a cell that combines with a sperm to create a baby or young animal
卵子；卵细胞 - The male sperm fertilizes the female egg.
雄性的精子使雌性的卵子受精。 - an egg donor
卵子捐献者 - Many women conceive through the use of a donor egg.
很多女性使用捐赠的卵子怀孕。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- fertilized
- unfertilized
- donor
- …
- fertilize
- produce
- release
- …
- donor
- donation
- removal
- …
- the nucleus of an egg
see also garden egg, goose egg, nest egg - The male sperm fertilizes the female egg.
Word Originnoun Middle English (superseding earlier ey, from Old English ǣg): from Old Norse.
Idioms
a chicken-and-egg situation, problem, etc.
- a situation in which it is difficult to tell which one of two things was the cause of the other
鸡与蛋孰先难定的情况；因果难定的问题
the/a curate’s egg
- (British English) something that has some good parts and some bad ones
好坏兼有之物；瑕瑜互见之物 - Their investment plan shows the familiar curate's egg pattern of some bits doing well and others doing badly.
他们的投资计划显示了人们所熟悉的管理者的鸡蛋模式，即一些部分表现良好，另一些部分表现不佳。
CultureThe phrase comes from a cartoon in the British magazine Punch in 1895, in which a nervous young curate is having breakfast with a bishop. The bishop says 'I'm afraid you've got a bad egg there' and the curate, not wanting to upset the bishop, replies, 'Oh no, my Lord! … Parts of it are excellent!’ - Their investment plan shows the familiar curate's egg pattern of some bits doing well and others doing badly.
a good/bad egg
- (old-fashioned, informal) a person who you know will behave well/badly
好人；坏蛋
have/be left with egg on/all over your face
- (informal) to be made to look stupid
使显得愚蠢；出丑；丢脸 - They were left with egg on their faces when only ten people showed up.
只有十人到场，他们感到很丢面子。
- They were left with egg on their faces when only ten people showed up.
kill the goose that lays the golden egg/eggs
- (saying) to destroy something that would make you rich, successful, etc.
杀鸡取卵；竭泽而渔；自绝财源
put all your eggs in one basket
- to rely on one particular course of action for success rather than giving yourself several different possibilities
寄希望于一件事情上 - I’ve applied for several jobs. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.
我申请了几份工作。我不想把所有鸡蛋放在一个篮子里。
- I’ve applied for several jobs. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.
(as) sure as eggs is eggs
- (old-fashioned, British English, informal) used to say that something is definitely true
千真万确；的的确确
teach your grandmother to suck eggs
- (British English, informal) to tell or show somebody how to do something that they can already do well, and probably better than you can
教奶奶嘬鸡蛋；在能人面前逞强；班门弄斧
you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
- (saying) you cannot achieve something important without causing a few small problems
不打破鸡蛋就做不成蛋饼；不花代价就难成大事