“碎屑”常见的英文表达是 debris 或 fragments,具体使用哪个词取决于语境:
debris:通常指碎片、残骸或废弃物,多用于描述较大的、不规则的碎片,比如建筑倒塌后的碎块、自然灾难过后的残骸等,也可用于指细小的碎屑,如岩石碎屑(rock debris)。例如:
The streets were filled with debris after the earthquake.(地震过后,街道上布满了碎屑。)
A large amount of debris was washed up on the shore.(大量碎屑被冲到了岸边。)
fragments:更强调“碎片”“碎块”的意思,通常指原本完整的东西破碎后形成的小块,可用于描述各种材料的碎屑,如玻璃碎屑(glass fragments)、骨头碎屑(bone fragments)等。例如:
The archaeologist carefully collected the pottery fragments.(考古学家小心翼翼地收集了陶器碎片。)
The explosion scattered fragments of metal everywhere.(爆炸把金属碎片炸得到处都是。)