- [countable]
any of the long fibres that carry messages between the brain and parts of the body, enabling you to move, feel pain, etc. 神经 
the optic nerve 视神经 He's off work with a trapped nerve in his neck. 他脖子上的神经被卡住了，所以下班了。 Every nerve in her body was tense. 她的每一根神经都绷得紧紧的。 The illness kills nerve cells and causes chronic fatigue. 这种疾病会杀死神经细胞，导致慢性疲劳。 Pain occurs when the nerve fibres are damaged. 当神经纤维受损时，就会疼痛。 Signals are transmitted from the nerve endings to the brain. 信号从神经末梢传递到大脑。 The disease can also cause nerve damage. 这种疾病也会导致神经损伤。
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodyb2, Biologyb2Cutting the nerves to the stomach does not affect hunger. 切断通向胃部的神经不会影响饥饿感。 He damaged a nerve in his spine. 他脊柱内有一根神经损伤了。 I've trapped a nerve in my spine. 我脊柱上有一根神经受压迫了。 Intense pain shot through every nerve in his body. 一阵剧痛袭向他全身的每一根神经。 The message travels along the nerve to the brain. 信号沿神经传入大脑。 The nerve runs from the eye to the brain. 这一神经连接眼睛和大脑。 The nerves transmit pain. 这些神经传导痛觉。 The vagus nerve controls heart rate and breathing. 迷走神经控制着心率和呼吸。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- pinched
- trapped
- sensitive
- …
- damage
- pinch
- strain
- …
- go
- lead
- run
- …
- bundle
- cell
- ending
- …
- along a/the nerve
- nerve in
- nerve to
- …
- every nerve in somebody’s body
- hit a nerve
- strike a (raw) nerve
- …
- nerves[plural]
feelings of worry or stress 神经质；神经紧张 Even after years as a singer, he still suffers from nerves before a performance. 尽管已做歌手多年，他在演出前仍然神经紧张。 I need something to calm my nerves. 我需要一些东西来镇定我的神经。 to settle/soothe/steady your nerves 镇定/安抚/稳定你的神经 Everyone's nerves were on edge (= everyone felt tense). 人人都觉得紧张。 He lives on his nerves (= is always worried). 他总是神经紧张。 By the end of the meal her nerves were completely frayed. 用餐结束时，她的神经完全紧张了。
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsb2She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. 她做了几个深呼吸来稳定紧张情绪。 Have some herbal tea to settle your nerves. 喝点凉茶来镇定一下你的神经。 At the end of a day's teaching, her nerves were absolutely shattered. 教了一天课，她精疲力竭。 Caring for him while he was so ill has been a great strain on her nerves. 照顾重病的他使她心力交瘁。 He uncharacteristically allowed nerves to get the better of him in yesterday's game. 他在昨天的比赛中一反常态，显得很紧张。 Her nerves were shot from all the things happening around her. 周遭发生的所有事情使得她的神经崩溃了。 Her nerves were stretched to breaking point. 她的神经高度紧张，到了崩溃的边缘。 His nerves jangled every time the phone rang. 电话每次一响，他的神经都要紧张一次。 I had an attack of nerves just before I went on stage. 登台前那一刻我感到非常紧张。 I'm not sure my nerves can stand another night like this. 我不确定我的神经还能忍受这样的夜晚。 I've never suffered from first-night nerves. 我从未有过初次登场的紧张。 It gave me time to calm my jittery nerves before meeting her. 这让我在见她之前有时间稳定我紧张不安的神经。 He lay awake, his nerves throbbing. 他躺着不能入睡，神经抽动 。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- exam
- first-night
- jittery
- …
- calm
- control
- ease
- …
- an attack of nerves
- a bag of nerves
- a bundle of nerves
- …
- [uncountable] nerves [plural]
the courage to do something difficult or dangerous 勇气；气魄 It took a lot of nerve to take the company to court. 将这个公司告上法庭需要极大的勇气。 I was going to have a go at parachuting but lost my nerve at the last minute. 我想尝试一下跳伞，可在最后关头却失去了勇气。 He held his nerve to win the final set 6–4. 他鼓起勇气以6比4赢得了最后一盘。 Investors largely kept their nerve and stayed with the company. 投资者基本上保持了勇气，并留在了公司。 It was an amazing journey which tested her nerves to the full. 这是一次令人惊奇的旅行，充分考验了她的神经。
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc2You must find the nerve to ask for more money. 你必须鼓足勇气要求加薪。 Steeling my nerve, I jumped the first bar. 我鼓起勇气跳过了第一道横杆。 Singing in front of so many people was a real test of nerve. 在这么多人面前唱歌真是对一个人勇气的考验。 At the last minute she almost lost her nerve. 在最后一刻她差点儿失去勇气。 He kept his nerve to win a thrilling game. 他一直保持着勇气，在这场扣人心弦的比赛中取得了胜利。 I didn't have the nerve to ask. 我没有勇气问。 It took a lot of nerve to stand up and speak. 站出来说话是很需要勇气的。 Skydiving is all right for people who've got the nerves for it. 对于有那种胆量的人来说，跳伞不算什么。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + nerve- have
- lack
- lose
- …
- break
- fail (somebody)
- a failure of nerve
- a loss of nerve
- a test of nerve
- …
- [singular, uncountable] (informal)
a way of behaving that other people think is rude or not appropriate 鲁莽；冒失；厚颜
Word Originlate Middle English (also in the sense ‘tendon, sinew’): from Latin nervus; related to Greek neuron ‘nerve’ (see neuron).
Idioms
be a bag/bundle of nerves
- (informal)
to be very nervous 非常紧张 By the time of the interview, I was a bundle of nerves. 到面试时我十分紧张。
get on somebody’s nerves
- (informal)
to annoy somebody 烦扰；使心神不定 That music is starting to get on my nerves. 那音乐开始让我心烦。 It really gets on my nerves when people talk loudly on the phone in public. 当人们在公共场合大声打电话时，我真的很紧张。 His endless whining really gets on my nerves. 他无休止的抱怨使我心情很烦躁。
have nerves of steel
to be able to remain calm in a difficult or dangerous situation 意志坚强；沉着冷静 You need nerves of steel to be a good poker player. 要想成为优秀的纸牌选手，你就得沉着应战。
hit/touch/strike a (raw/sensitive) nerve
to mention a subject that makes somebody feel angry, upset, embarrassed, etc. 触及要害；触动痛处 You touched a raw nerve when you mentioned his first wife. 你谈起他的第一任妻子，这就触到了他的痛处。 My remarks about divorce had unwittingly touched a raw nerve. 我关于离婚的言论无意间触到了别人的痛处。 The article struck a raw nerve as it revived unpleasant memories. 这篇文章唤起了不愉快的回忆，触动了我的神经。
strain every nerve/sinew (to do something)
to try as hard as you can to do something 竭尽全力（做某事） He strained every nerve to snatch victory from defeat. 他竭尽全力从失败中夺取胜利。
strike a nerve (with somebody)
to have a strong effect 烦扰；使心神不定 His work strikes a nerve with people who are attracted to nostalgia. 他的作品触动了怀旧人群的神经。 It seems I struck a nerve with my last post about cell phones. 我上一篇关于手机的帖子似乎触动了我的神经。 Nissan may well strike a popular nerve here. 日产汽车很可能会触动这里的一根大众神经。
a war of nerves
an attempt to defeat your opponents by putting pressure on them so that they lose courage or confidence 神经战（利用心理压力摧毁对方的斗志） The union has been fighting a war of nerves with the management over pay. 工会一直在为薪酬的事与资方进行心理战。