- [countable]
any of the long fibres that carry messages between the brain and parts of the body, enabling you to move, feel pain, etc. 神經 
the optic nerve 視神經 He's off work with a trapped nerve in his neck. 他脖子上的神經被卡住了，所以下班了。 Every nerve in her body was tense. 她的每一根神經都繃得緊緊的。 The illness kills nerve cells and causes chronic fatigue. 這種疾病會殺死神經細胞，導致慢性疲勞。 Pain occurs when the nerve fibres are damaged. 當神經纖維受損時，就會疼痛。 Signals are transmitted from the nerve endings to the brain. 信號從神經末梢傳遞到大腦。 The disease can also cause nerve damage. 這種疾病也會導致神經損傷。
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodyb2, Biologyb2Cutting the nerves to the stomach does not affect hunger. 切斷通向胃部的神經不會影響饑餓感。 He damaged a nerve in his spine. 他脊柱内有一根神經損傷了。 I've trapped a nerve in my spine. 我脊柱上有一根神經受壓迫了。 Intense pain shot through every nerve in his body. 一陣劇痛襲向他全身的每一根神經。 The message travels along the nerve to the brain. 信號沿神經傳入大腦。 The nerve runs from the eye to the brain. 這一神經連接眼睛和大腦。 The nerves transmit pain. 這些神經傳導痛覺。 The vagus nerve controls heart rate and breathing. 迷走神經控制着心率和呼吸。
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 神經質；神經緊張 Even after years as a singer, he still suffers from nerves before a performance. 盡管已做歌手多年，他在演出前仍然神經緊張。 I need something to calm my nerves. 我需要一些東西來鎮定我的神經。 to settle/soothe/steady your nerves 鎮定/安撫/穩定你的神經 Everyone's nerves were on edge (= everyone felt tense). 人人都覺得緊張。 He lives on his nerves (= is always worried). 他總是神經緊張。 By the end of the meal her nerves were completely frayed. 用餐結束時，她的神經完全緊張了。
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsb2She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves. 她做了幾個深呼吸來穩定緊張情緒。 Have some herbal tea to settle your nerves. 喝點涼茶來鎮定一下你的神經。 At the end of a day's teaching, her nerves were absolutely shattered. 教了一天課，她精疲力竭。 Caring for him while he was so ill has been a great strain on her nerves. 照顧重病的他使她心力交瘁。 He uncharacteristically allowed nerves to get the better of him in yesterday's game. 他在昨天的比賽中一反常態，顯得很緊張。 Her nerves were shot from all the things happening around her. 周遭發生的所有事情使得她的神經崩潰了。 Her nerves were stretched to breaking point. 她的神經高度緊張，到了崩潰的邊緣。 His nerves jangled every time the phone rang. 電話每次一響，他的神經都要緊張一次。 I had an attack of nerves just before I went on stage. 登台前那一刻我感到非常緊張。 I'm not sure my nerves can stand another night like this. 我不確定我的神經還能忍受這樣的夜晚。 I've never suffered from first-night nerves. 我從未有過初次登場的緊張。 It gave me time to calm my jittery nerves before meeting her. 這讓我在見她之前有時間穩定我緊張不安的神經。 He lay awake, his nerves throbbing. 他躺着不能入睡，神經抽動 。
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 勇氣；氣魄 It took a lot of nerve to take the company to court. 將這個公司告上法庭需要極大的勇氣。 I was going to have a go at parachuting but lost my nerve at the last minute. 我想嘗試一下跳傘，可在最後關頭卻失去了勇氣。 He held his nerve to win the final set 6–4. 他鼓起勇氣以6比4赢得了最後一盤。 Investors largely kept their nerve and stayed with the company. 投資者基本上保持了勇氣，並留在了公司。 It was an amazing journey which tested her nerves to the full. 這是一次令人驚奇的旅行，充分考驗了她的神經。
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc2You must find the nerve to ask for more money. 你必須鼓足勇氣要求加薪。 Steeling my nerve, I jumped the first bar. 我鼓起勇氣跳過了第一道橫杆。 Singing in front of so many people was a real test of nerve. 在這麽多人面前唱歌真是對一個人勇氣的考驗。 At the last minute she almost lost her nerve. 在最後一刻她差點兒失去勇氣。 He kept his nerve to win a thrilling game. 他一直保持着勇氣，在這場扣人心弦的比賽中取得了勝利。 I didn't have the nerve to ask. 我沒有勇氣問。 It took a lot of nerve to stand up and speak. 站出來說話是很需要勇氣的。 Skydiving is all right for people who've got the nerves for it. 對於有那種膽量的人來說，跳傘不算什麽。
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 魯莽；冒失；厚顔
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 非常緊張 By the time of the interview, I was a bundle of nerves. 到面試時我十分緊張。
get on somebody’s nerves
- (informal)
to annoy somebody 煩擾；使心神不定 That music is starting to get on my nerves. 那音樂開始讓我心煩。 It really gets on my nerves when people talk loudly on the phone in public. 當人們在公共場合大聲打電話時，我真的很緊張。 His endless whining really gets on my nerves. 他無休止的抱怨使我心情很煩躁。
have nerves of steel
to be able to remain calm in a difficult or dangerous situation 意志堅強；沉着冷靜 You need nerves of steel to be a good poker player. 要想成爲優秀的紙牌選手，你就得沉着應戰。
hit/touch/strike a (raw/sensitive) nerve
to mention a subject that makes somebody feel angry, upset, embarrassed, etc. 觸及要害；觸動痛處 You touched a raw nerve when you mentioned his first wife. 你談起他的第一任妻子，這就觸到了他的痛處。 My remarks about divorce had unwittingly touched a raw nerve. 我關於離婚的言論無意間觸到了别人的痛處。 The article struck a raw nerve as it revived unpleasant memories. 這篇文章喚起了不愉快的回憶，觸動了我的神經。
strain every nerve/sinew (to do something)
to try as hard as you can to do something 竭盡全力（做某事） He strained every nerve to snatch victory from defeat. 他竭盡全力從失敗中奪取勝利。
strike a nerve (with somebody)
to have a strong effect 煩擾；使心神不定 His work strikes a nerve with people who are attracted to nostalgia. 他的作品觸動了懷舊人群的神經。 It seems I struck a nerve with my last post about cell phones. 我上一篇關於手機的帖子似乎觸動了我的神經。 Nissan may well strike a popular nerve here. 日産汽車很可能會觸動這裏的一根大衆神經。
a war of nerves
an attempt to defeat your opponents by putting pressure on them so that they lose courage or confidence 神經戰（利用心理壓力摧毀對方的鬥志） The union has been fighting a war of nerves with the management over pay. 工會一直在爲薪酬的事與資方進行心理戰。