explain

英 [ɪk'spleɪn] 美 [ɪk'spleɪn]

• v. 说明；解释

双解释义

v. (动词)

1. vt. & vi. 讲解,解释

   give or show the meaning of

2. vt. & vi. 说明…的原因; 辩解

   give or be the reason for; account for

详尽释义

v. 动词

1. 说明，解释，阐明
2. 说明...的理由
3. 替...辩解
4. 吐露，讲出，明说
5. 揭开

英英释义

Verb:

1. make plain and comprehensible;

   "He explained the laws of physics to his students"
   

2. define;

   "The committee explained their plan for fund-raising to the Dean"
   

3. serve as a reason or cause or justification of;

   "Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"
   "Her recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"
   

例句

用作动词 (v.)

1. She explained her conduct to her boss.
   她向老板说明了自己那种表现的原因。
2. He explained his plan in some detail.
   他仔细地说明了自己的计划。
3. The lawyer explained the new law to us.
   律师向我们解释了新法律。

常见句型

用作动词 (v.)

用作不及物动词

S+～(+A)

1. When you are wrong, don't explain.
   错了,你不用解释。
2. I don't understand this, please explain.
   我不明白这点,请解释一下。
3. Jenny tried to explain.
   詹妮想设法解释一下。
4. You needn't explain any more.
   你不必再解释了。

用作及物动词

S+～+ n./pron.

1. That explains his absence.
   他缺席就是这个原因。
2. They sent us a letter to explain the delay.
   他们给我们一封信解释为什么耽搁了。
3. Please explain the meaning of the poem.
   请说明这首诗的意思。
4. I will try to explain the situation as I see it.
   我将试着根据我自己的看法讲一讲形势。
5. He explained scientifically the most important questions of political economy.
   他科学地阐述了政治经济学中的一些最重要的问题。
1
6. This can be easily explained.
   这很容易解释。
7. This problem will be explained next time.
   这个问题下次再作解释。
8. This problem has not yet been satisfactorily explained.
   这个问题还没有得到令人满意的解释。

S+～+wh-to- v

1. He explained how to use this instrument.
   他解释如何使用这台仪器。
2. Can you explain why to do it like that?
   你能解释为什么那样做吗?
3. They didn't explain where to get it.
   他们没有说明在什么地方弄到它的。

S+～+that-clause

1. They began to explain that they had been delayed by the weather.
   他们开始解释说,天气使他们耽搁了。
2. I explained that we could stay no longer.
   我说过我们不能再停留了。
3. I explained that we were perfectly safe.
   我向他说过我们非常安全。
4. The man operating this pump explained that it could supply enough water to irrigate 5000 mu of land.
   开水泵的人说,这个水泵抽上来的水足够灌溉五千亩地。

S+～+wh-clause

1. The enclosed letter will explain what has happened.
   附来的信将说明发生的情况。
2. The worker explained how the machine worked.
   那位工人讲解这台机器如何运用。
3. He explained how the machine was used.
   他给我们讲解这机器怎么使用。
4. She tried to explain why she had stayed out so late.
   她设法解释她为什么在外面呆这么晚的原因。

引出直接引语

1. “I came by subway,” she explained.
   “我是坐地铁来的,”她解释说。

经典引文

• He took a card from his pocket...'That will explain to Dr. Everard,' he said.

  出自： M. Gray

• He was weary from trying to explain ideas to people who could not visualize them.

  出自： J. A. Michener

• Briers had been explaining to his superiors what he intended to do.

  出自： C. P. Snow

• The Blackfoot chief..explained how the braves used to drive buffalo.

  出自：Daily Telegraph

常用短语

用作动词 (v.)

explain away (v.+adv.)

通过解释消除… give a satisfactory reason for; get rid of by explanation
explain sth ⇔ away
I didn't believe her at first, but she managed to explain away my doubts.

起初我不相信她,可是她的解释消除了我的怀疑。
She explained away the child's fears.

她通过解释消除了孩子的恐惧。
He tried to explain away his lateness, but we didn't accept his excuse.

他竭力为自己迟到辩解,但是,我们不相信他的托词。
You will find it difficult to explain away your use of such offensive language.

你将会发现你很难为说过这种无理的话辩解。
He thought of a reason to explain away his failure.

他想出一个理由为他的失败辩解。
John explained away his unfinished task by showing his boss a certificate for sick leave.

约翰交给上司一个病假条,以此解释他为什么没完成任务。
The criminal tried to explain away the false signature, but it was clear that he was guilty.

罪犯试图为伪造签名一事开脱自己,但他显然是有罪的。
The murder suspect couldn't explain away his fingerprints at the scene.

这个杀人嫌疑犯解释不清为什么在杀人现场会留有他的指纹。
Such a conclusive evidence is hard to be explained away.

如此确凿的证据是很难巧辩的。

explain oneself (v.+pron.)

为自己的行为辩解 give an excuse for one's behaviour

explain to (v.+prep.)

向…解释 make sth clear to sb
explain to sb
You'd better go and explain to the teacher.

你最好去向老师解释清楚。 explain sth to sb
You should explain this matter to your wife.

你应该向你妻子解释这件事。
Can you explain his behaviour to me?

你能向我解释清楚他的行为吗?
I will explain my decision to you when I come back.

我回来时会向你解释我的决定。
The speaker tried to explain his meaning to the crowd.

演讲者竭力向听众讲清他的意思。 explain to sb that-clause
I explained to them that three days in Beijing was very little time to see all the sights.

我向他们说明,要把北京风光都看到三天是远远不够的。 explain to sb wh-clause
He explained to us how the machine was used.

他给我们讲解了这机器怎么使用。
You'll have to explain to me why you haven't finished your work.

你得对我讲清楚你为什么没有完成作业。

词汇搭配

用作动词 (v.)

～+名词

• explain a difficult problem 解释难题
• explain a foreign passage 解释这段外文
• explain a plan 说明计划
• explain a principle 解释原理
• explain a theory 阐释理论
• explain an important problem 阐述了一个重要问题
• explain life 解释生命
• explain one's absence 说明缺席的理由
• explain one's behaviour 解释自己的行为
• explain one's decision 解释某人的决定
• explain one's error 解释自己的错误
• explain one's hesitation 解释犹豫的原因
• explain one's idea 解释自己的想法
• explain one's own emotions 解释某人的情感
• explain one's views 阐明观点
• explain oneself 解释,为自己辩解
• explain such a silly remark 解释这种蠢话
• explain such conduct 解释这种行为
• explain the aim 说明目的
• explain the delay 解释耽搁的原因
• explain the essence of 说明…的实质
• explain the foolish behaviour 解释愚蠢的行为
• explain the hows and whys of an issue 解释一个问题(争端)的经过和缘由
• explain the matter 说明这件事
• explain the meaning of the sentence 解释句子的意思
• explain the nature of 说明…的性质
• explain the new law 解释新法律
• explain the new tax system 说明新的税收制度
• explain the obscure point 解释模糊的地方
• explain the phenomenon 解释这种现象
• explain the poem 解释这首诗
• explain the point of view 阐明观点
• explain the problem 解释这个问题
• explain the question 解释这个问题
• explain the reason for 说明…的理由
• explain the rule 解释这规则
• explain the secret of one's success 说明自己成功的秘密
• explain the situation 说明形势
• explain the text 讲解课文
• explain the word 解释这个单词

～+副词

• explain adequately 恰当地解释
• explain amply 充分地说明
• explain apologetically 抱歉地解释
• explain away 讲明,解释清楚
• explain away a fault 为过失而辩解
• explain briefly 扼要说明
• explain candidly 公正地解释
• explain carefully 细心地解释
• explain clearly 清楚地解释
• explain competently 有资格辩解
• explain comprehensively 全面地解释
• explain concisely 简要地解释
• explain confusedly 解释得很混乱
• explain definitely 明确地解释
• explain easily 容易解释
• explain effectively 有效地辩解
• explain elaborately 详尽地解释
• explain essentially 实质上解释
• explain exactly 精确地解释
• explain facetiously 滑稽地解释
• explain fully 充分地说明
• explain fundamentally 基本上解释清楚
• explain haltingly 吞吞吐吐地解释
• explain hesitatingly 含糊地解释
• explain immediately 立即解释
• explain incongruously 解释得很合理
• explain ingeniously 巧妙地解释
• explain invaluably 非常有价值地解释
• explain lamely 不中用地辩解
• explain lucidly 清楚地说明
• explain minutely 详细地解释
• explain paradoxically 自相矛盾地解释
• explain parenthetically 作为插入语的解释
• explain passionately 热情地解释
• explain patiently 耐心地解释
• explain philosophically 解释得富有哲理性
• explain plausibly 花言巧语地辩解
• explain presently 目前解释
• explain properly 恰当地解释
• explain proudly 骄傲地解释
• explain psychologically 从心理角度解释
• explain roughly 粗略说明
• explain satisfactorily 作令人满意的解释
• explain scientifically 科学地阐述
• explain solemnly 庄重地解释
• explain sufficiently 解释得过多
• explain technically 从技术上解释
• explain tenderly 亲切地解释
• explain voluntarily 自愿地解释

～+介词

• explain about it 把这件事解释一下
• explain sth as 把…解释成
• explain sth on the theory of 用…理论解释某事
• explain to 向…说明

词语用法

v. (动词)

1. explain的基本意思是“解释,说明”,指把对方不知道、不理解的事以易懂的方式加以说明,使其清楚、明白。
2. explain既可用作及物动词,也可用作不及物动词。用作及物动词时,宾语可以是名词、代词,也可以是带疑问词的动词不定式或that从句,还可以是反身代词,说明自己的意思、动机或行为。
3. “向某人说明某事”不用explain sb sth 结构,可用explain sth to sb 表示。
4. explain可引出直接引语。

词义辨析

v. (动词)

explain, explicate, expound, interpret

• 这四个词都有“解释”“阐明”的意思。其区别在于:
• 1.explain指对不了解、不明白或不清楚之事进行解释; explicate指对复杂的事情进行讨论或说明; expound指对某问题或道理进行解释说明; interpret指对难以理解的疑难点解释说明清楚。例如:
• Explain yourself! Why did you do it?你说清楚!为什么干那种事?
• The principle is explicated into three axioms.这一原理可以分析成三条公理。
• The priest expounded his religion to us.那位神父向我们阐述了他所信的宗教。
• The professor interpreted the poem for us.教授为我们解释了那首诗的真正含义。
• 2.explain是仔细、详尽地运用专业知识进行解释; explicate是逐点讨论和仔细说明; expound是指某人在具有渊博知识的基础上,详细地、系统地解释说明; interpret是用言语或表演等方式解释说明。例如:
• He explained how to use the parachute.他讲解怎样使用降落伞。
• I am sure you can explicate this work to me.我确信你能为我分析一下这篇作品。
• In these two chapters, the author expounds the law of universal gravitation.在这两章里,作者详尽阐述了万有引力定律。
• The poet read and then interpreted his poem about nature.诗人先读,然后解释了他那首关于大自然的诗。

常见错误

v. (动词)

1. 老师给我讲解了语法难点。

   误 The teacher explained me the difficult point of grammar.

   正 The teacher explained the difficult point of grammar to me.

2. 你能解释他为什么要那样做吗?

   误 Can you explain why he is doing that for me?

   正 Can you explain to me why he is doing that?

   析 表示“向某人说明某事”可用explain sth to sb 结构,不能用explain sb sth/explain sth for sb 结构。

词源解说

• ☆ 16世纪10年代进入英语，直接源自古典拉丁语的explanare，意为解释，使清楚；最初源自此语的explane。

近反义词

【近义词】

• define
• explicate
• expound
• interpret
• account for
• justify

【反义词】

• obscure 难解的