simmer
基本释义
[verb] (of water or food) stay just below the boiling point while being heated
[动词] （指水或食物）加热时保持在略低于沸点
深入解读
Simmer 是一个在 好书推荐 | 一本让你寒假弯道超车的单词书 一文中出现过的单词。该词比较好记，与熟词 summer 就隔第二个字母不同。
从词源上看，simmer 拟声而来，最早出现于17世纪中期，用来表示“用文火炖”或者说“煨”，即用小火温和而缓慢地煮，产生较少的蒸汽或气泡，使水或食物的温度保持在略低于沸点，比如：
- 加入蘑菇，并根据口味酌加调料。然后把蔬菜再炖几分钟。
Add the mushrooms, and season to taste. Then leave the vegetables to simmer for a few minutes.
等到了1764年后，从加热到略低于沸点这个概念出发， simmer 开始用来喻指“酝酿、积聚、即将爆发”，多指争吵、分歧、冲突或消极情绪等处于被压抑并在一段时间内慢慢变强的状态，最终会累积到随时爆发的程度，比如：
- 罢工已酝酿了数周。有好几种可能出现的局面。
The strike has been simmering for weeks. There are several possible scenarios.
这也可以用 simmer with sth 来表示“充满”某种强烈的感觉，尤其是难以控制的愤怒，比如：
- 这场看似无关紧要的会议之后她便心生怨恨，一直耿耿于怀。
She’s been simmering with resentment ever since this seemingly banal meeting.
而到了1871年后，大概是从由煮沸转到文火慢炖这个概念出发， simmer 开始发展出短语动词 simmer down 表示相反含义指“平息下来、平静下来、冷静下来”，即愤怒或激动的情绪在一段时间之后变得平静下来，常作非正式用语使用，比如：
- 我见他非常暴躁。于是等他平静下来之后才去找他。
I saw him very chafe and fret at every pore. So I left him alone until he simmered down.
用作名词时， simmer 相应表示“文火炖、小火煨”以及“即将沸腾状态”。
好书例句
We had delivered ourselves into the lap of my fat aunt’s long-simmered wrath; with the single exception of Jamila, who was least affected owing to her long absences, we all ended up with our geese well and truly cooked.
我们把自己交到我这位胖姨妈手里，在她多年郁积于心的怒火里煎熬。只有贾米拉除外，由于她经常不在家，因此受到的影响最少，我们最后都实实在在地在她手里栽了跟斗。
出自印裔英国作家萨尔曼·鲁西迪（Salman Rushdie，又译萨尔曼·拉什迪）在1981年出版的长篇小说《午夜之子》（Midnight’s Children）。
外刊例句
- Long-simmering tensions between China and Japan have pushed Japanese firms toward ASEAN.
中国和日本之间长久发酵的紧张关系已经把日本企业推向东盟地区。
——《经济学人》 - Escalating a long-simmering trade dispute with the West over solar panels, China plans to impose tariffs that could exceed 50 percent on a material it imports from the United States and South Korea to make the panels, its Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday.
中国商务部周四宣布，中国计划对从美国和韩国进口的一种用于制造太阳能电池板的原材料征收可能会超过50%的关税。这加剧了中国和西方在太阳能电池板问题上酝酿已久的贸易争端。
——《纽约时报》
详细用法
描述温和加热或煮沸的用法：
- Simmer the soup – 炖汤
- After bringing the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. (将汤煮沸后，调小火力，让其炖煮20分钟。)
- Simmer the sauce – 煨酱
- The recipe calls for simmering the tomato sauce for at least one hour to enhance the flavors. (食谱要求将番茄酱煨煮至少一小时以增强味道。)
- Simmer the stew – 炖煮炖菜
- It’s best to simmer the stew on low heat for several hours to tenderize the meat and develop rich flavors. (最好用小火炖煮几个小时，使炖菜变得嫩滑，味道丰富。)
- Simmer the broth – 煨煮肉汤
- The broth should simmer gently for a few hours to extract all the flavors from the bones and vegetables. (肉汤应该小火煨煮几个小时，以从骨头和蔬菜中提取出所有的味道。)
- Simmer the porridge – 煮粥
- Allow the rice and water to simmer together until the porridge reaches the desired consistency. (让大米和水一起煮沸，直到粥达到所需的浓稠度。)
描述渐渐升温或情绪的用法：
- Simmer with anger – 愤怒渐起
- He tried to keep calm, but he could feel his anger simmering beneath the surface. (他试图保持冷静，但可以感觉到他内心的愤怒渐渐升温。)
- Simmer with excitement – 兴奋渐生
- The atmosphere in the stadium simmered with excitement as the teams entered the field. (当队伍进入球场时，体育场内弥漫着兴奋的氛围。)
- Simmer with anticipation – 期待渐醒
- The children’s excitement simmered with anticipation as they waited for the arrival of Santa Claus. (孩子们期待着圣诞老人的到来，兴奋的情绪逐渐升温。)
- Simmer with tension – 紧张渐增
- The room was filled with silence, but you could feel the tension simmering among the participants. (房间里充满了寂静，但你可以感受到参与者之间紧张的气氛渐渐升温。)
- Simmer with curiosity – 好奇心渐起
- The mystery surrounding the old house made the neighbors simmer with curiosity. (围绕着那座老房子的神秘气氛激发了邻居们的好奇心。)
描述慢慢沸腾或情绪的用法：
- Simmer with excitement – 兴奋沸腾
- The crowd’s anticipation simmered with excitement as the concert started. (音乐会开始时，观众的期待兴奋沸腾起来。)
- Simmer with anger – 愤怒升腾
- The protesters’ frustration simmered with anger, leading to clashes with the police. (抗议者的挫败感引发了愤怒的情绪，导致与警察发生冲突。)
- Simmer with anticipation – 期待高涨
- The team’s victory in the previous match made the fans’ excitement simmer with anticipation for the upcoming game. (球队在上一场比赛中的胜利，使得球迷们对即将到来的比赛充满期待的兴奋情绪逐渐升腾。)
- Simmer with resentment – 怨愤沸腾
- The long-standing conflict between the two families simmered with resentment, leading to heated arguments. (两个家族之间长期存在的冲突充满了怨愤的情绪，导致激烈的争吵。)
- Simmer with excitement – 兴奋激增
- The news of her promotion made her excitement simmer, and she couldn’t wait to share the good news with her friends. (她晋升的消息使她兴奋激增，迫不及待地想与朋友们分享这个好消息。)
同近义词
seethe: (of a liquid) bubble up as a result of being boiled
stew: (with reference to meat, fruit, or other food) cook or be cooked slowly in liquid in a closed dish or pan
poach: cook by simmering in a small amount of liquid
