考研 SAT TEM8 GRE
外刊例句
- Child marriage, once rife, is ebbing.
曾经盛行的童婚习俗正在消退。
——《经济学人》 - Or rent someone else’s car for less than most traditional companies and forget about monitoring the ebb and flow of daily rates as your trip approaches.
或者试试租别人的汽车，价格比大多数传统公司都低，这样就不用在旅行临近时关注每日车价的涨跌。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[verb] (of an emotion or quality) gradually lessen or reduce
[动词] （指情绪或品质）逐渐减少或降低
深入解读
Ebb 这个单词在 熟词僻义 | tide 是一种怎样的帮助？ 一文中多次提过，包括下面的名人用例也是，其基本含义为“落潮、退潮”，常用 the ebb 表示，比如：
- 正在退潮
The tide is on the ebb. - 潮起潮落
the ebb and flow of tide
从潮起潮落这个概念出发， the ebb and flow of sth/sb 就可以用来表示“（有规律的）涨落、盛衰、起伏、消长”，比如：
- 四时更迭
the ebb and flow of the seasons - 你得承受恋爱过程中爱情的起起伏伏。
You have to accept the ebb and flow of love in a relationship.
有跌有涨其实都还可以接受，最怕的就是一落不起，而这种“处于低潮、状况不佳”或者说“处于衰退状态”就可以用 at a low ebb 表示，比如：
- 我刚离了婚，情绪非常低落。
I was recently divorced and feeling at a very low ebb. - 目前人们对消费的信心降到了低谷。
Consumer confidence is currently at a low ebb.
把 ebb 用作动词时，除了表示“（潮水）退、落”外，还可以用来形容“衰退、低落”，常用 ebb away 表达，多指易受波动影响的事物逐渐衰退，比如：
- 他能感觉到自己逐渐体力不支。
He could feel his strength ebbing (away). - 我们的热情随着夜晚的降临而渐渐低落下来。
As night fell, our enthusiasm began to ebb away.
名人用例
Defeat may be victory in disguise; the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.
失败也许隐藏着成功；低潮过后就轮到高潮。
出自美国诗人、翻译家亨利·沃兹沃斯·朗费罗（Henry Wadsworth Longfellow，1807年2月27日－1882年3月24日）。朗费罗是美国炉边诗人之一，二十八岁即任哈佛大学现代语言教授。
世界上第一首译为中文的英语诗是朗费罗的《人生颂》（A Psalm of Life）。时任大清国总理各国事务衙门全权大臣的董恂曾将《人生颂》书于扇面，并转交给远在波士顿的朗费罗，此扇现存于朗费罗故居。
深度学习
ebb (rhymes with web) In our end is our beginning: we close our pre-sentation of one thousand and fifty-one words as we began, with a three-letter word: ebb. It means “to fall back, to recede, to go away.”
- As the second millennium began to ebb, disputes arose as to whether the proper time to celebrate was the year 2000 or the year 2001. Although Stanley Kubrick had chosen the latter for his earlier film, the year 2000 won out for the many celebrations.
- No matter how many hours they spent in challenging each other or in perusing dictionaries, Margery’s and Jane’s pleasure in working together and their interest in words never ebbed.
——摘自《Fiske WordPower: The Most Effective System for Building a Vocabulary That Gets Results Fast》
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落潮（与web押韵）我们的结束就是我们的开始：我们用一个三个字母的单词结束了之前的一千五十一个单词：落潮。它的意思是“后退，后退，离开。”
- 随着第二个千年开始消退，人们对庆祝的适当时间是2000年还是2001年产生了争议。尽管斯坦利·库布里克在他的早期电影中选择了后者，但2000年在许多庆祝活动中获胜
- 无论他们花了多少小时互相挑战或阅读词典，Margery和Jane在一起工作的乐趣和他们对单词的兴趣从未减弱
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常见短语
“ebb”通常用来表示退潮、衰退、减退等情况，特指潮水的退落。
以下是50个包含单词“ebb”的短语，以及它们的中文解释：
- ebb tide: 退潮
- ebb and flow: 衰退与复兴
- ebb away: 逐渐减弱
- ebb of life: 生命的衰退
- ebb of enthusiasm: 热情的减退
- ebb of energy: 能量的衰减
- ebb of creativity: 创造力的减退
- ebb of confidence: 信心的减退
- ebb of interest: 兴趣的减退
- ebb of hope: 希望的减退
- ebb of strength: 力量的减退
- ebb of popularity: 受欢迎程度的下降
- ebb of influence: 影响力的减退
- ebb of spirit: 精神的减退
- ebb of motivation: 动力的减退
- ebb of passion: 激情的减退
- ebb of vitality: 活力的减退
- ebb of interest: 兴趣的减退
- ebb of excitement: 兴奋的减退
- ebb of resources: 资源的减少
- ebb of support: 支持的减退
- ebb of courage: 勇气的减退
- ebb of influence: 影响力的减退
- ebb of energy: 能量的衰减
- ebb of creativity: 创造力的减退
- ebb of confidence: 信心的减退
- ebb of interest: 兴趣的减退
- ebb of hope: 希望的减退
- ebb of strength: 力量的减退
- ebb of popularity: 受欢迎程度的下降
- ebb of influence: 影响力的减退
- ebb of spirit: 精神的减退
- ebb of motivation: 动力的减退
- ebb of passion: 激情的减退
- ebb of vitality: 活力的减退
- ebb of interest: 兴趣的减退
- ebb of excitement: 兴奋的减退
- ebb of resources: 资源的减少
- ebb of support: 支持的减退
- ebb of courage: 勇气的减退
- ebb of energy: 能量的衰减
- ebb of creativity: 创造力的减退
- ebb of confidence: 信心的减退
- ebb of interest: 兴趣的减退
- ebb of hope: 希望的减退
- ebb of strength: 力量的减退
- ebb of popularity: 受欢迎程度的下降
- ebb of influence: 影响力的减退
- ebb of spirit: 精神的减退
- ebb of motivation: 动力的减退
同近义词
- abate: (of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread
- subside: become less intense, violent, or severe
- wane: (especially of a condition or feeling) decrease in vigor, power, or extent; become weaker
