- [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. （鳥類的）蛋；（魚、昆蟲等的）卵 
The female sits on the eggs until they hatch. 雌鳥伏在蛋上直到其孵化。 The fish lay thousands of eggs at one time. 這種魚一次産卵數千個。 crocodile eggs 鳄魚蛋
Collocations The living worldThe living world 生物界 Animals 動物 - animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
動物交配／繁育／繁殖／以…爲食 - fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
魚／兩栖動物遊動／産卵 - birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
鳥飛翔／遷徙／築巢／啼叫 - insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
昆蟲爬／飛／咬／叮 - insects/bees/locusts swarm
昆蟲／蜜蜂／蝗蟲成群地飛來飛去 - bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
蜜蜂采蜜／花粉 - spiders spin/weave a web
蜘蛛結網／織網 - snakes/lizards shed their skins
蛇／蜥蜴蛻皮 - bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
熊／刺猬／青蛙冬眠 - insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
昆蟲的幼蟲生長／發育／化蛹 - an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
卵孵化；小雞出殼；幼蟲孵出 - attract/find/choose a mate
吸引／找到／選擇配偶 - produce/release eggs/sperm
産卵；排卵；産生／釋放精子 - lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
産卵；使卵受精；孵卵 - inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
栖居於森林／礁石／海岸 - mark/enter/defend (a) territory
標出／進入／保衛領地 - stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
悄悄接近／獵殺／捕獲／殺死獵物
Plants and fungi 植物和真菌 - trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
樹木／植物生長／開花 - a seed germinates/sprouts
種子發芽 - leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
葉子／花蕾／根莖／幼苗長出來／長大／成形 - flower buds swell/open
花蕾含苞欲放／綻放 - a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
菌類生長／擴散／長滿… - pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
給花／植物授粉 - produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
長出／傳播花粉／種子／孢子 - produce/bear fruit
結果 - develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
長出根莖／嫩芽／葉子 - provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
提供／吸收／提取／釋放營養物 - perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
進行／增加／減少光合作用
Bacteria and viruses 細菌和病毒 - bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
細菌／微生物／病毒生長／擴散／繁殖 - bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
細菌／微生物在…中存活／大量生長 - bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
細菌／微生物／病毒進化／長滿…／引發疾病 - bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
細菌（將某物）分解／轉化（成某物） - a virus enters/invades something/the body
病毒進入／侵入某物／身體 - a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
病毒變異／演化／（自我）複制 - be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
感染上／接觸到一種新病毒／抗藥性細菌 - contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
帶有細菌／病毒 - kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
殺滅有害的／致命的細菌
Extra ExamplesTopics Insects, worms, etc.a1, Fish and shellfisha1, Birdsa1Many reptiles bury their eggs. 許多爬行動物把它們下的蛋掩埋起來。 She lays a clutch of four eggs on average. 這只雌鳥平均一窩下四只蛋。 The males stay and guard the eggs. 雄性動物留下來看護這些蛋。
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）雞蛋 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. 用少許打勻的蛋液將混合料攪拌在一起。 You've got some egg on your shirt. 你的襯衣上沾了些蛋。 egg yolks/whites 蛋黃；蛋白 egg noodles 雞蛋面 hen's/duck/quail eggs 雞蛋/鴨蛋/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. 打兩只蛋到混合料中。 Separate the eggs, putting the whites to one side. 把蛋分開，蛋清撥到一邊。 We're just decorating eggs for the egg hunt. 我們正在爲彩蛋搜尋活動畫彩蛋。
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 婦女和雌性動物 a cell that combines with a sperm to create a baby or young animal 卵子；卵細胞 The male sperm fertilizes the female egg. 雄性的精子使雌性的卵子受精。 an egg donor 卵子捐獻者 Many women conceive through the use of a donor egg. 很多女性使用捐贈的卵子懷孕。
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 雞與蛋孰先難定的情況；因果難定的問題
the/a curate’s egg
- (British English)
something that has some good parts and some bad ones 好壞兼有之物；瑕瑜互見之物 Their investment plan shows the familiar curate's egg pattern of some bits doing well and others doing badly. 他們的投資計劃顯示了人們熟悉的副牧師的雞蛋模式，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. 殺雞取卵；竭澤而漁；自絕財源
put all your eggs in one basket
to rely on one particular course of action for success rather than giving yourself several different possibilities 寄希望於一件事情上 I’ve applied for several jobs. I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket. 我已經申請了幾份工作。我不想孤注一擲。
(as) sure as eggs is eggs
- (old-fashioned, British English, informal)
used to say that something is definitely true 千真萬確；的的確確
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 教奶奶嘬雞蛋；在能人面前逞強；班門弄斧
you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
- (saying)
you cannot achieve something important without causing a few small problems 不打破雞蛋就做不成蛋餅；不花代價就難成大事