leap /liːp/► SEE ALLa leap in the darklook before you leapjump/leap to conclusionsa quantum leap ●a leap in the ˈdarkan action or a risk that you take without knowing anything about the activity or what the result will be冒险举动；后果不可预料的行动◆The government is being accused of taking a leap in the dark as it prepares to radically change the education system. 人们指责政府准备对教育制度进行重大变革是冒险行为。●ˌlook before you ˈleap (saying) think carefully about the possible risks and effects before you decide to do sth三思而后行◆I know you don’t like this job but don’t just accept the first job offered to you. Remember to look before you leap. 我知道你不喜欢目前这份工作，但万不可一遇到新的工作机会就不加选择地接受。记住要三思而后行。●jump/leap to conˈclusionsmake a decision about sb/sth too quickly, before you know or have thought about all the facts匆忙下结论◆There you go again — jumping to conclusions. Wait till you hear my side of the story!你又来了，匆匆忙忙就下结论。等我说完你再说！●a quantum ˈleap ( a quantum ˈjumpless frequent) a sudden very large increase, advance or improvement in sth剧增；突飞猛进；重大进展◆This latest research represents a quantum leap in our understanding of the universe.这项最新的研究表明，我们对宇宙的认识有了重大进展。◆The quantum leap in writing technology came with the introduction of personal computers.个人电脑的使用带来了书写技术的飞跃发展。NOTE In physics, a quantum jump is a sudden change in a physical quality such as energy from one fixed level to another.在物理学中，quantum jump 指量子跃迁。