life /laɪf/► SEE ALLbe sb’s lifebring sb/sth to lifecome to lifefrighten/scare the life out of sbget a lifelead/live the life of Reilly/Rileylife after death(a matter of) life and/or deaththe life and soul of the partylife is cheap(have) a life of its ownlose your lifemake life difficult (for sb)make sb’s life a miserythe man/woman in your lifenot for the life of me, etc.not on your lifesee lifesuch is lifetake sb’s lifetake your life in your handstake your own lifethat’s lifethere’s life in the old dog yetthis is the life!to the lifewhat a life!where there’s life (, there’s hope)the bane of sb’s life/existence(you can) bet your bottom dollar/your life (on sth/that…)breathe (new) life into sthlead/have a charmed lifefor dear lifefor your lifea dog’s lifeend your days/life (in sth)a fact of lifethe facts of lifebe/go in fear of your lifefight for (your) lifethe fright of your lifethe kiss of life(as) large as lifelarger than lifelay down your life (for sb/sth)a (new) lease of lifethe light of sb’s lifein the prime of (your) lifein real liferisk life and limbcan’t do sth to save your lifea slice of lifespring to/into life/actionthe staff of lifethat’s the story of my lifeat my, your, etc. time of lifehave the time of your lifetrue to lifevariety is the spice of lifea walk of lifea/the/sb’s way of life ●be sb’s ˈlifebe the most important person or thing to sb对某人至关重要的人（或事）◆My children are my life. 我的几个孩子都是我的命根子。◆Writing is his life. 写作是他的生命。●bring sb/sth to ˈlifemake sb/sth more lively, interesting or attractive使更生动；使更有趣；使更有吸引力◆It was only her performance that brought the movie to life. 唯有她的表演使这部电影更吸引人。◆If you put a couple of pictures on the wall it might bring the room to life a bit. 如果在墙上挂几幅画，整个房间会显得更有生气。●come to ˈlife1.become more interesting, exciting or full of activity变得更有趣；变得活跃起来◆The match finally came to life in the final minutes of the second half. 比赛在下半场的最后几分钟终于精彩起来。2.start to act or move as if alive仿佛活了起来；开始动起来◆In my dream all my toys came to life. 在梦里我所有的玩具都活了起来。●frighten/scare the ˈlife out of sbfrighten sb very much把某人吓得魂不附体；使魂飞魄散◆Don’t do that! You scared the life out of me creeping up on me like that! 不要那样！你那样悄悄靠近我真是吓死我了！●get a ˈlife (spoken) used to tell sb to stop being boring and to do sth more interesting来点儿有意思的◆Simon, all you do is sit at home all day playing video games! Get a life! 西蒙，你怎么整天坐在家里玩电子游戏！别那么无聊好不好！●lead/live the life of Reilly/ˈRiley (informal) have a comfortable and enjoyable life without any worries过舒适且无忧无虑的生活◆He inherited a lot of money and since then he’s been living the life of Riley. 他继承了一大笔钱，从此过着无忧无虑的生活。●life after ˈdeaththe possibility or belief that people continue to exist in some form after they die死后再生◆Do you believe in life after death? 你相信死后再生吗？●(a matter of) ˌlife and/or ˈdeath (informal) used to describe a situation that is very important or serious性命攸关（的事情）◆We need that business deal, it’s a matter of life or death to the company. 我们需要做成那笔生意，这是有关公司存亡的大事。◆It’s hardly a life-and-death decision whether we drive or take the train, is it? 我们是自己开车还是坐火车去并不是一个十分重要的问题，不是吗？●the life and ˌsoul of the ˈparty (BrE) very cheerful or enthusiastic最活跃风趣的人物；活跃分子◆People always expect Jane to be the life and soul of the party. 聚会时人们总是期待简成为灵魂人物。●life is ˈcheap (disapproving) used to say that there is a situation in which it is not thought to be important if people somewhere die or are treated badly视人命为草芥；人命不值钱◆In areas like this, drugs are hard currency and life is cheap. 在这些地区毒品是硬通货，人命不值钱。●(have) a life of its ˈown (of an object某物) seeming to move or function by itself without a person touching or working it（具有）生命力；可以自行活动◆When he was painting, he said, the brush used to take on a life of its own and take him in directions he never intended to go. 他说，在画画时，画笔仿佛具有生命力，带领他到意想不到的去处。●lose your ˈlifebe killed丧生；遇难◆Sixty people lost their lives in the air crash. 在这次空难中，有六十人丧生。▸loss of ˈlife
noun
◆Fortunately there was no loss of life in the fire. 幸运的是，没有人在这次火灾中丧生。●make life ˈdifficult (for sb)cause problems for sb（给某人）找麻烦，出难题；使（某人）日子不好过◆She does everything she can to make life difficult for him. 她想尽办法给他制造麻烦。●make sb’s life a ˈmiserymake sb’s life very unpleasant or difficult使某人的生活痛苦（或艰难）；折磨某人◆Ever since he joined the company he’s made my life a misery. 自从他来到公司，我的生活便变得苦不堪言。◆Her arthritis makes her life a misery; she’s in constant pain. 关节炎使她痛苦不堪，疼痛持续不断地折磨着她。●the ˈman/ˈwoman in your life (informal) the man or woman that you are having a sexual or romantic relationship with闯进你生活中的男人／女人●not for the ˈlife of me, etc.used for saying that you cannot do sth, however hard you try无论如何都不行；这辈子都别想◆I can’t for the life of me remember his first name. 我怎么也记不起他的名字了。◆He couldn’t for the life of him understand why she was so annoyed with him. 他无论如何也不明白她为什么这么烦他。●not on your ˈlife (spoken) used to refuse very firmly to do sth（用于断然拒绝）决不会，没门儿◆Go out and miss the football match on TV? Not on your life! 外出错过收看电视播放的足球比赛？绝对不行！◆Lend him $50? Not on your life. 借给他 50 美元？不可能！●see ˈlifesee and experience different ways of living, for example by travelling, working with many different kinds of people, etc.见世面；经历世事◆She’s done many different jobs all over the world. She’s seen life, that’s for sure. 她在世界各地从事过许多不同的工作。不用说，她见多识广。◆He’s certainly seen a bit of life. 他一定是个见过世面的人。●such is ˈlife (informal) used when you are disappointed about sth but know that you must accept it（表示失望但又无可奈何）这就是生活◆He didn’t get the prize he was hoping for. But such is life, I suppose. 他没有得到希望中的奖赏。但是我想，生活就是这样。●take sb’s ˈlife (formal) kill sb杀害某人；夺去某人的性命◆In my opinion, the state does not have the right to take a person’s life. 依我之见，政府无权剥夺人的生命。●take your ˌlife in your ˈhandsrisk being killed, injured, attacked, etc.冒生命危险；豁出性命；把脑袋别在裤腰带上◆You take your life in your hands if you let him drive. 你要是让他开车，就是在拿自己的生命开玩笑。◆The reason that his photos are so good is because he takes his life in his hands to get them. 他的照片很出色，原因在于他是冒着生命危险去拍摄的。●take your own ˈlife (formal) kill yourself; commit suicide自杀◆His children died in a house fire and shortly afterwards he took his own life. 他的几个孩子死于一次家庭火灾，不久后他就自杀了。●ˌthat’s ˈlife ( ˌc’est la ˈviefrom French) (spoken) used when you are disappointed about sth but know that you must accept it（表示失望但又无可奈何）这就是生活，生活就是这样◆Some people are born intelligent and some people are not. That’s life. 有些人天资聪颖，有些人却不是这样。没办法，这就是人生。◆I didn’t get that job I wanted. They said I didn’t have enough experience. Oh well, c’est la vie. 我没有得到想要的工作，他们说我经验不足。唉，这就是生活。●there’s ˌlife in the old dog ˈyet (humorous) a person is old but is still active and enjoys life人老心不老◆At 70 he’s decided to go round the world. There’s life in the old dog yet! 70 岁时，他决定周游世界。真是人老心不老！◆I’m not too old to enjoy myself! There’s life in the old dog yet, you know. 我现在还不太老，完全可以享受生活！你知道吗，我人虽老精力却仍旺盛。●this is the ˈlife!used to show that you are very happy with the situation you are in（表示非常满足）这才叫生活呢◆Sunshine, a swimming pool and champagne. This is the life! 阳光、泳池和香槟，这才是生活！●to the ˈlife (of a painting, sculpture, description, etc.绘画、雕塑、描写等) exactly like the person/thing painted, etc.与原人／物酷似；生动逼真◆This new portrait really is Prince Charles to the life. 这幅新的查尔斯王子画像实在是太逼真了。◆When I read her description of him, I could see him again so clearly. It was him to the life. 当我读到她对他的描写时，他的形象清晰地再现在我面前，真是栩栩如生。●what a ˈlife!used to show that you think your life is very difficult or unpleasant人生太苦了；这是什么鬼日子◆Three hours travelling to work in a crowded train every day. What a life! 每天挤三小时的火车去上班，这哪是人过的日子！◆Cooking, cleaning and ironing seven days a week. What a life! 一周七天，天天做饭、打扫卫生、熨衣服。这是什么鬼日子！●where there’s ˈlife (, there’s ˈhope) (saying) in a terrible situation you must not give up hope because there is always a chance that it will improve只要活着（，就有希望）；留得青山在（，不怕没柴烧）◆The game isn’t over yet — we could still win. Where there’s life there’s hope. 比赛尚未结束 － 我们仍有获胜的机会。只要有一线希望就绝不放弃。●the bane of sb’s ˈlife/eˈxistencea person or thing that makes sb’s life unpleasant or unhappy使某人的生活不快（或不幸）的原因；祸根；灾星◆That car is always breaking down! It’s the bane of my life.那辆车老抛锚！真是个祸害。OPPa ray of sunshine●(you can) bet your bottom ˈdollar/your ˈlife (on sth/that…) (informal) (you can) be certain of sth（可以）肯定，打包票；毫无疑问◆You can bet your bottom dollar that he’ll forget our anniversary.可以打包票，他会把我们的纪念日忘掉。●breathe (new) ˈlife into sthimprove sth by introducing new ideas and making people more interested in it（给某事物）带来起色，注入活力◆She has breathed new life into a product that was tired and out-of-date.她给一个过时的老产品注入了生机。●lead/have a ˌcharmed ˈlifehave a lot of good luck, avoiding accidents or harm天佑神护；趋吉避祸◆Carol appeared to lead a charmed life, with her successful career in television, money and a happy home life.卡萝尔真是吉人天相，从事电视行业成就斐然，收入丰厚，且家庭幸福。●for dear ˈlife●for your ˈlifebecause you are in danger为了逃命；拼命地◆Run for your life! A tiger has escaped from the circus!快逃命吧！马戏团的一只老虎逃出来了！◆They were clinging for dear life to the edge of the rock.他们死命地扒着岩石的边缘。●a ˈdog’s life (informal) a life in which there is not much pleasure or freedom穷困潦倒的日子；猪狗不如的生活◆It’s a dog’s life having to do two jobs in order to survive.为了生存不得不打两份工，真够惨的。●ˌend your ˈdays/ˈlife (in sth)spend the last part of your life in a particular state or place（在某种状态下或某处）度过余生◆He ended his days in poverty.他死前穷困潦倒。●a ˌfact of ˈlifesomething difficult or unpleasant that cannot be changed and has to be accepted or dealt with无法改变（或避免）的事实◆Taxes are a fact of life. You just have to pay them.缴税是无法避免的现实，你不能不缴。◆It is a fact of life that some people are born more intelligent than others.无法否认有些人天生就比别人聪明。●the ˌfacts of ˈlifethe facts about sex, how babies are born, etc., especially when told to children（尤指给小孩讲的）性知识，性生活常识◆When do you think you should tell your children the facts of life?你觉得应该什么时候告诉孩子们一些性知识呢？●be/go in fear of your ˈlifebe afraid all the time that you may be killed, attacked, etc.一直担心会被杀（或被袭击等）◆After she got involved with the drug dealers, she went in fear of her life.她和那些毒品贩子有了牵连以后就一直为自己的性命担忧。●ˌfight for (your) ˈlifemake a great effort to stay alive, especially when you are badly injured or seriously ill（尤指重伤或重病时）努力求生◆A young cyclist is fighting for his life after the accident.一位年轻的自行车手出事故后奋力求生。●the ˌfright of your ˈlifean experience that makes you feel great fear吓死了；吓了一大跳◆I got the fright of my life when I saw the gun pointing at me.我看到一把枪指着我时，魂都吓掉了。◆He gave me the fright of my life when I saw him hanging out of the window.我看到他悬在窗外，吓了一大跳。●the kiss of ˈlife (BrE) 1.a method of helping sb who has stopped breathing to breathe again by placing your mouth on theirs and forcing air into their lungs口对口的人工呼吸（法）◆He gave the child the kiss of life, but unfortunately it was too late to save her.他为孩子做了口对口人工呼吸，可惜为时已晚，未能救活她。2.any thing or action that saves an organization, business, etc.拯救某组织（或企业等）的事物／行动◆This loan is the kiss of life that our company needs.这笔贷款是我们公司的救命钱。●(as) large as ˈlife (humorous) used of sb who is seen in person, often unexpectedly（常指意外地见到本人）不容置疑，千真万确◆I thought she’d left the country, but there she was, large as life, in the supermarket!我以为她已经出国了，却在超市里面遇见她，没错，就是她！●larger than ˈlifelooking or behaving in a way that is more interesting or exciting than other people, and so is likely to attract attention超群；不同寻常◆He’s one of those larger than life characters.他是那种非常引人注目的人。●lay down your ˈlife (for sb/sth) (literary) die for your country, a cause etc.（为祖国、事业等）献身，牺牲◆Thousands of young men laid down their lives in the war so that we could live in freedom.成千上万的年轻人在战争中牺牲，因此我们才能过上自由的生活。●a (ˌnew) lease of ˈlife (BrE) (NAmEa (ˌnew) lease on ˈlife) a chance for sb/sth to live/last longer; a chance to get more enjoyment and satisfaction out of life延长的寿命；新的生命；更愉快、更满足的新生活◆The successful heart operation gave him a new lease of life.这次心脏手术的成功使他重获新生。◆The outside of the city hall has just been thoroughly cleaned and it’s given the old place a new lease on life.市政厅的外墙刚被彻底清洗了，使得这个古老的地方焕然一新。●the light of sb’s ˈlifethe person sb loves more than any other心爱的人；心肝宝贝◆Elizabeth was his only child, the light of his life.伊丽莎白是他唯一的孩子，他的掌上明珠。●in the prime of (your) ˈlifeat the time in your life when you are strongest or most successful在年富力强的时期；在壮年；风华正茂时◆He was struck down in the prime of his life by a heart attack.他还在壮年就得了心脏病病倒了。◆What do you mean, I’m old? I’m still in the prime of life!你说什么，我老了？我还在盛年呢！OPPbe past your/its best●in real ˈlifenot the life people have in books, films/movies, plays, etc.在现实生活中◆She plays the role of a pianist in the movie, but in real life she can’t play a note.在这部电影中，她扮演一名钢琴师，而在现实生活中她根本不会弹。●risk ˌlife and ˈlimbrisk being killed or injured in order to do sth冒死；不惜受伤◆She risked life and limb to save her son from the fire.她冒着生命危险把儿子从火中救出来。●can’t do sth to ˌsave your ˈlife (informal) cannot do sth at all or can only do sth very badly完全不会做某事；死也干不了（或干不好）某事◆He can’t cook to save his life.他死活不会做饭。●a ˌslice of ˈlifea story, play or film/movie that shows aspects of ordinary life现实生活的一个侧面；反映现实生活的故事（或戏剧、电影）◆In this book Dickens shows us a slice of nineteenth-century London life.狄更斯在这本书中向我们展示了 19 世纪伦敦生活的一个侧面。●spring to/into ˈlife/ˈaction (of a person or thing人或事物) suddenly become active or start to work突然活跃（或运行）起来◆As soon as he heard the alarm bell, he sprang into action.一听到警铃响，他立即行动起来。◆This machine will spring into life at the touch of a button.一摁按钮这机器就会转动起来。●the ˌstaff of ˈlife (literary) a basic food, especially bread主食（尤指面包）●that’s the ˌstory of my ˈlife (informal) used for saying that sth that happens to you or to another person is typical of the bad luck you always have我就是这个命，我总是这么倒霉（表示自己总是遭遇类似的不幸经历）◆‘I meet somebody I really like and she tells me she’s married. That’s the story of my life!’“我遇见一个真心喜欢的人，可是她对我说她已经结婚了，我总是这么倒霉！”●at ˈmy, ˈyour, etc. time of lifeat my, your, etc. age (especially used about older people)在我（或你等）这样的年纪（尤指上了年纪）◆Learn to drive at my time of life? Don’t be silly!我这把年纪学开车？别傻了！●have the ˌtime of your ˈlife (informal) enjoy yourself; be very happy or excited非常快乐；玩得很痛快◆The children had the time of their lives at the circus.孩子们在马戏场玩得很开心。●true to ˈlife (of a book, film/movie, etc.图书、电影等) seeming real rather than invented栩栩如生；逼真◆I don’t think the characters are very true to life.我觉得这些人物不是很真实。●variety is the spice of ˈlife (saying) a variety of different activities, interests, places or people in your life makes it more enjoyable生活丰富多彩才有乐趣◆We never go on holiday to the same place twice. It’s good to see different things, and you know what they say — variety is the spice of life.我们从不去一个地方度两次假。看看不同的东西挺好的，而且常言道，变化是生活的调味料。●a walk of ˈlifea person’s job or position in society行业；职业；阶层◆The people at the meeting came from all walks of life — students, writers, business people, and so on.与会人员来自各个阶层，包括学生、作家、商人等等。●a/the/sb’s way of ˈlifethe typical pattern of behaviour of a person or group（个人或团体的）特有的行为方式，典型生活方式◆the British / rural / traditional way of life英国人／乡村／传统的生活方式