- [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. （鸟类的）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 world 生物界 Animals 动物 - animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
动物交配／繁育／繁殖／以…为食 - fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
鱼／两栖动物游动／产卵 - birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
鸟飞翔／迁徙／筑巢／啼叫 - insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
昆虫爬／飞／咬／叮 - insects/bees/locusts swarm
昆虫／蜜蜂／蝗虫成群地飞来飞去 - bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
蜜蜂采蜜／花粉 - spiders spin/weave a web
蜘蛛结网／织网 - snakes/lizards shed their skins
蛇／蜥蜴蜕皮 - bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
熊／刺猬／青蛙冬眠 - insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
昆虫的幼虫生长／发育／化蛹 - an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
卵孵化；小鸡出壳；幼虫孵出 - attract/find/choose a mate
吸引／找到／选择配偶 - produce/release eggs/sperm
产卵；排卵；产生／释放精子 - lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
产卵；使卵受精；孵卵 - inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
栖居于森林／礁石／海岸 - mark/enter/defend (a) territory
标出／进入／保卫领地 - stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
悄悄接近／猎杀／捕获／杀死猎物
Plants and fungi 植物和真菌 - trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
树木／植物生长／开花 - a seed germinates/sprouts
种子发芽 - leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
叶子／花蕾／根茎／幼苗长出来／长大／成形 - flower buds swell/open
花蕾含苞欲放／绽放 - a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
菌类生长／扩散／长满… - pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
给花／植物授粉 - produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
长出／传播花粉／种子／孢子 - produce/bear fruit
结果 - develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
长出根茎／嫩芽／叶子 - provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
提供／吸收／提取／释放营养物 - perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
进行／增加／减少光合作用
Bacteria and viruses 细菌和病毒 - bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
细菌／微生物／病毒生长／扩散／繁殖 - bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
细菌／微生物在…中存活／大量生长 - bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
细菌／微生物／病毒进化／长满…／引发疾病 - bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
细菌（将某物）分解／转化（成某物） - a virus enters/invades something/the body
病毒进入／侵入某物／身体 - a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
病毒变异／演化／（自我）复制 - be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
感染上／接触到一种新病毒／抗药性细菌 - contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
带有细菌／病毒 - kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
杀灭有害的／致命的细菌
Extra ExamplesTopics Insects, worms, etc.a1, Fish and shellfisha1, Birdsa1Many 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
- …
- [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 Fooda1Crack 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
- …
- [countable]
(in women and female animals 妇女和雌性动物 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
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熟悉的副牧师的鸡蛋模式，即有些人做得好，有些人做得不好。
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!’
a good/bad egg
- (old-fashioned, informal)
a person who you know will behave well/badly 好人；正人君子
have/be left with egg on/all over your face
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. 我已经申请了几份工作。我不想孤注一掷。
(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