“成千上万”常见的英文表达有 “thousands upon thousands”、“thousands and thousands”、“tens of thousands” 或 “hundreds of thousands”,具体使用可根据语境和强调的侧重点来选择:
thousands upon thousands / thousands and thousands:这两个短语都强调数量之多,给人一种连绵不断、数不胜数的感觉,更侧重于描述数量极其庞大且难以精确统计的场景。例如:
Thousands upon thousands of people gathered in the square to celebrate the festival.(成千上万的人聚集在广场上庆祝节日。)
Thousands and thousands of stars were shining in the night sky.(成千上万的星星在夜空中闪烁。)
tens of thousands:表示“数万;好几万”,更侧重于表达一个大概的数量范围,强调数量达到万级且较多。例如:
Tens of thousands of birds migrate south every winter.(每年冬天都有数万只鸟向南迁徙。)
hundreds of thousands:意思是“几十万;成千上万”,所表达的数量比“tens of thousands”更大,同样强调数量众多。例如:
Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes in the earthquake.(在地震中,成千上万的人失去了家园。)