TOEFL SAT TEM8 GRE
外刊例句
- Intel wants much more than fitter, more supple personal computers.
英特尔想要的不仅仅是更合适、更灵活的个人电脑。
——《经济学人》 - Some forms of disorder — like a financial crisis — send voters for the calm supple thinker.
某些形式的混乱——比如一场金融危机——会让选民支持头脑冷静而不失灵活的思考者。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[adjective] bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible
[形容词] 轻松优雅地弯曲和移动的；灵活的
深入解读
Supple 一词源自拉丁语 supplex （弯腰、跪下；谦卑地乞求、恳求、跪求），14世纪进入英语后开始用来表示“柔软的”，发展到现在既可以形容人的身体“柔软的、灵活的、柔韧性好的”，强调肌肉和关节十分柔韧并且姿势或动作变化时快速平稳，比如：
- 我希望在运动成绩方面赶上我姐姐。但我身体的柔韧性不够好，站着的时候双手无法触到地面。
I hope to emulate my sister’s sporting achievements. But I’m not supple enough to touch the floor.
也可以用来形容物体、材料等“柔软的、柔韧的、易弯曲的”，强调易于弯曲、扭曲或折叠，且不会造成损伤，以及用来形容来声音、味道等“流畅浑厚的、醇滑的”，比如：
- 该皮革柔软而结实，足以用上数年。但要小心别让铁丝网钩破它。
The leather is supple and sturdy enough to last for years. But be careful not to snag it on the barbed wire. - 该葡萄酒味道不浓不淡，口感醇滑。想喝一杯吗？
The wine has a medium-bodied, supple flavour. Fancy a drink?
到了17世纪后， supple 从柔软易弯曲这个概念开始引申喻指“灵活的、适应性强的、易相处的”，强调能够快速成功地改变以适应不同的环境或条件，比如：
- 她已经证明了自己头脑很灵活。她知道如何避免说出任何会进一步牵连她的事情。
She has shown that she has a supple mind. She knows how to avoid saying anything that would implicate her further. - 结果已经证明这项货币政策上的微调彻底失败了。现在我们需要一个更加灵活的货币政策。
This slightest nuance of change in monetary policy has turned out to be an abject failure. Now we need a more supple monetary policy.
值得注意的是， supple 一词与熟词 supper （晚餐、宵夜）不仅形似，而且发音也比较相近，在听说读写时要小心区别。
名著用例
But he scarcely heard Hermione: He had pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and was running it through his fingers, the cloth supple as water, light as air.
他几乎没有听见赫敏的叫声：他掏出隐形衣，让它从指缝间流过，织物像水一样软，像空气一样轻。
出自英国作家J·K·罗琳的奇幻小说《哈利·波特》系列的第七本《哈利·波特与死亡圣器》（Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows）。《哈利·波特与死亡圣器》是整个小说系列的终结篇，交代了所有重要人物的最终命运。
常见短语
“supple” 是一个英语单词，通常用来表示柔软、灵活等含义，指物体或身体能够轻易弯曲或伸展。
以下是50个包含单词“supple”的短语，以及它们的中文解释：
- supple body: 灵活的身体
- supple muscles: 柔软的肌肉
- supple joints: 灵活的关节
- supple movements: 流畅的动作
- supple flexibility: 柔韧性
- supple spine: 灵活的脊柱
- supple yoga poses: 柔软的瑜伽姿势
- supple limbs: 灵活的四肢
- supple posture: 身体姿势的灵活性
- supple tendons: 柔软的肌腱
- supple dance routines: 灵活的舞蹈动作
- supple gymnastics: 柔软的体操
- supple training: 灵活性训练
- supple exercise: 柔软的锻炼
- supple body movements: 灵活的身体运动
- supple stretches: 柔软的伸展
- supple ballet poses: 灵活的芭蕾姿势
- supple warm-up: 灵活的热身
- supple body mechanics: 灵活的身体机制
- supple spine alignment: 灵活的脊柱对齐
- supple martial arts: 柔软的武术
- supple acrobatics: 柔软的杂技动作
- supple mobility: 灵活的机动性
- supple body control: 灵活的身体控制
- supple training regimen: 灵活的训练计划
- supple dance techniques: 灵活的舞蹈技巧
- supple yoga practice: 灵活的瑜伽练习
- supple workout routine: 灵活的锻炼计划
- supple joint mobility: 灵活的关节机动性
- supple muscle flexibility: 柔软的肌肉柔韧性
- supple body movement: 灵活的身体动作
- supple stretching exercises: 柔软的伸展练习
- supple physical conditioning: 灵活的身体调理
- supple warm-up routine: 灵活的热身计划
- supple core strength: 灵活的核心力量
- supple spinal flexibility: 脊柱的灵活性
- supple joint movement: 灵活的关节运动
- supple dance choreography: 灵活的舞蹈编排
- supple body coordination: 灵活的身体协调
- supple muscle control: 灵活的肌肉控制
- supple yoga poses: 柔软的瑜伽姿势
- supple limbs: 灵活的四肢
- supple posture: 身体姿势的灵活性
- supple tendons: 柔软的肌腱
- supple dance routines: 灵活的舞蹈动作
- supple gymnastics: 柔软的体操
- supple training: 灵活性训练
- supple exercise: 柔软的锻炼
- supple body movements: 灵活的身体运动
- supple stretches: 柔软的伸展
同近义词
- nimble: quick and light in movement or action; agile
- lithe: (of a person or their body) moving or bending easily, in a way that is elegant
- limber: (of a person or body part) lithe or supple
