"beside oneself" 是一个常用的英语短语,用来描述人因强烈情绪而失控的状态,核心含义是“(因喜怒哀乐等)极度兴奋/狂乱/无法自制”。
字面直译是“不在自己(的状态里)”,引申为情绪强烈到“失去自我控制”,通常用于表达极端的情绪体验(如狂喜、暴怒、悲痛、惊恐等)。
短语的固定结构是:
be beside oneself with + 情绪名词(with引出导致失控的具体情绪)其中:
"oneself" 需根据主语人称变化(如myself/yourself/himself/herself/itself/themselves);
常见搭配的情绪名词:anger(愤怒)、joy(喜悦)、grief(悲痛)、excitement(兴奋)、fear(恐惧)、fury(狂怒)等。
1、 喜极而泣/狂喜:
When she got the offer from Harvard, she was beside herself with joy.
(当她收到哈佛大学的录取通知时,她欣喜若狂。)
2、 怒不可遏:
He was beside himself with anger when he saw his car had been vandalized.
(看到自己的车被 vandalize(蓄意破坏),他气得发狂。)
3、 悲痛欲绝:
After losing her only child, she was beside herself with grief.
(失去独子后,她悲痛得无法自制。)
4、 极度兴奋:
The fans were beside themselves with excitement when the band took the stage.
(乐队登台时,粉丝们兴奋得失去了控制。)
该短语仅用于强烈情绪,不能描述轻微的情绪波动(如“有点开心”“有点生气”不能用它);
不要与“beside someone”混淆:后者是“在某人旁边”(字面义),与情绪无关;
口语和书面语中都常用,是表达极端情绪的“高频短语”。
可替换的表达有:
be overwhelmed by [emotion](被…情绪淹没);
be out of one's mind with [emotion](因…情绪而发疯,更口语化);
be beside oneself with rage/fear等(更强调“失控”)。
总结:"beside oneself" 是描述“情绪炸裂”的经典短语,记住搭配“with + 情绪”,就能准确传达“极度失控”的状态~