字面原指“在马刺(spur)刺激马的瞬间”,引申为没有事先计划、临时突发的冲动或即兴行为,强调“心血来潮、说做就做”的状态。
英文等价解释:without planning or preparation; impulsively; spontaneously(无计划、冲动地、自发地)
该短语是介词短语,通常作状语,修饰动词、动词短语或整个句子,可置于句首、句中或句末(位置灵活,不影响语义)。
1、 句末:
She quit her job on the spur of the moment.
(她一时冲动辞了职。)
We decided to go camping on the spur of the moment—we didn’t even pack a tent!
(我们临时决定去露营——连帐篷都没打包!)
2、 句首(用逗号隔开):
On the spur of the moment, he bought a plane ticket to Paris.
(心血来潮之下,他买了去巴黎的机票。)
On the spur of the moment, they invited strangers to their wedding.
(他们临时决定邀请陌生人参加婚礼。)
3、 句中:
He proposed to her on the spur of the moment, with a candy ring instead of a diamond.
(他即兴向她求婚,用糖做的戒指代替钻戒。)
该短语强调“无预谋”,区别于“有一点准备但临时调整”的情况(如 last minute 更侧重“最后一刻”,不一定完全无计划)。
常见搭配:常与表示“决定、行动、选择”的动词连用(如 decide, do, buy, go, propose 等)。
总结:"on the spur of the moment" 是描述“即兴/冲动行为”的经典表达,口语和书面语都常用,记住核心是“临时突发、没有提前计划”!