"mess up" 是一个及物动词短语(有时也用作不及物),核心含义是“使混乱、搞砸、破坏(秩序/状态/结果)”,具体语义随语境变化,常见于口语和非正式场合。
根据宾语或语境的不同,"mess up" 可分为以下几类常见用法:
表示因失误、粗心等导致某事失败或达不到预期,相当于 "ruin" "spoil" "botch"。
例句:
I messed up the job interview by being late.(我因为迟到搞砸了 job 面试。)
Don’t mess up this opportunity—it’s your last chance.(别搞砸这个机会,这是你最后的希望。)
He messed up the recipe by adding too much salt.(他加了太多盐,把菜谱搞砸了。)
指将原本整齐、干净的东西弄乱或弄脏,相当于 "disorganize" "clutter" "dirty"。
例句:
The kids messed up the living room with their toys.(孩子们用玩具把客厅弄乱了。)
Please don’t mess up my desk—I just organized it.(别弄乱我的桌子,我刚整理好。)
I messed up my shirt with coffee this morning.(今早我把咖啡洒在衬衫上,弄脏了。)
表示让某人的心理或情绪陷入混乱,或干扰其正常状态,相当于 "confuse" "disturb" "upset"。
例句:
The bad news messed up her whole day.(坏消息让她一整天都很烦躁。)
Don’t let their comments mess you up—stay focused.(别让他们的评论影响你,保持专注。)
Losing his job really messed him up emotionally.(失业让他情绪上很崩溃。)
表示(人/物)处于混乱、糟糕的状态(既可以指物品“被弄乱”,也可以指人“情绪差/状态糟”)。
例句:
My room is totally messed up—I need to clean it.(我的房间乱得一塌糊涂,得打扫了。)
He was really messed up after the breakup.(分手后他状态很差。)
The project is messed up because of poor planning.(因为规划不周,项目一团糟。)
代词作宾语时,需放在短语中间:如 "mess it up"(搞砸它)、"mess them up"(弄乱它们),不能说 "mess up it"。
例句:I almost messed it up, but I fixed it in time.(我差点搞砸,但及时补救了。)
强化程度:可加副词如 "badly" "totally" "big time"(口语中表示“严重地”)。
例句:She messed up big time by forgetting the wedding date.(她忘了婚礼日期,简直搞砸了。)
同义词:ruin, spoil, botch, disorganize, clutter, upset
反义词:fix, organize, clean up, sort out, perfect
总结:"mess up" 是一个高频口语短语,核心是“破坏原本的秩序/状态”,可用于描述事(搞砸)、物(弄乱)、人(影响情绪)的状态变化,掌握其搭配和语境即可灵活使用。