| 释义 |
candle /ˈkændl/► SEE ALLcannot hold a candle to sb/sthburn the candle at both endsthe game is not worth the candle
●cannot hold a candle to sb/sth (informal) is not as good as sb or sth else 远远不如；不能与…媲美；去给人拎包都还不够格◆She is a good player, but she can’t hold a candle to a champion like Jane.
她是个优秀的选手，但跟简这样的冠军比起来，还是差远了。 OPP put sb/sth in the shade ORIGIN In the past, an assistant used to hold a candle for somebody more senior so that they could have light to do their work. This idiom implies that even this position is too good for the person mentioned. 旧时，资深的人做事时会有助手在旁边举着蜡烛为其照亮。这个习语暗指即使这样卑微的职位对这人来说也不够格。●burn the candle at both ˈendsmake yourself very tired by doing too much, especially by going to bed late and getting up early 过度劳累；（尤指因起早贪黑）疲惫不堪◆You look exhausted. Been burning the candle at both ends, have you?你看起来筋疲力尽，是不是起早贪黑累的？●the ˌgame is not worth the ˈcandle (old-fashioned, saying) sth is not worth the effort needed 得不偿失；不值一试◆After trying to get permission to build the office for a whole year, we gave up, because the game was just not worth the candle.我们为获得许可建立这个事务所努力了整整一年，之后放弃了，因为所费的力气太不值得了。 ORIGIN In the past, candles were used for light at night. If a game or an activity was not worth the cost of the candles required to light the room, it was not worth playing or doing. 旧时，夜间用蜡烛照明，如果你所做的事情或消遣不值得你为之点蜡照亮房间，就不值得去做了。 |