小词详解 | discern

小词详解 | discern
discern 英 [dɪˈsɜːn] 美 [dɪˈsɜːrn]

考研 CET6 TOEFL TEM8 GMAT GRE

外刊例句

  • Jim McGregor of Tirias Research, an American technology consultancy, discerns “tremendous interest on both sides of the ocean” in semiconductor and software acquisitions.
    美国科技咨询公司 Tirias Research 的吉姆·麦格雷戈(Jim McGregor)发现,对于半导体和软件方面的收购,“太平洋两岸都兴致勃勃”。
    ——《经济学人》
  • As the air grows crisp and the trees shiver away the last of their leaves, the most discerning ghost hunters head to New York and New England, where Halloween is an artful affair.
    空气开始变得清冷,最后一片树叶也翩然飘落,眼光锐利的幽灵猎人们纷纷前往纽约和新英格兰;这些地方非常善于搞万圣节活动。
    ——《纽约时报》

基本释义

[verb] perceive or recognize (something)
[动词] 感知或识别(某物)

深入解读

Discern 源自拉丁语 discernere (分离、分开、分配、区分、感知),主要表示“看出、觉察出某物(尤指不太明显的事物)”,比如:

  • 觉察到他们的欢迎有点冷淡
    discerned a certain coldness in their welcome

有了这种见微知著的能力,就可以很容易地“认识、了解某物”以及“识别、区别某物”,比如:

  • 认识和分析复杂问题的本质的能力
    the ability to discern and analyze the essentials of complicated questions
  • 识别善恶
    discern good and/from evil
  • 在黑暗中认出路来
    discern the road in the dark

双语名言

The first point of wisdom is to discern that which is false; the second, to know that which is true.
智慧的首要之点是能判别什么是错误的,其次能知道何者为正确。

出自拉克坦提乌斯(Lactantius,240年-320年)。古罗马基督教作家之一,他著有大量解释基督教的作品,博采众长、富于变化。其作品在文艺复兴时期仍具有广泛影响力,被后人多次再版发行。

同近义词

  • perceive: become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand
  • detect: discover or identify the presence or existence of
  • differentiate: recognize or ascertain what makes (someone or something) different