"make little of" 是一个常用的英语短语,核心含义围绕对事物的“低评价”或“理解困难”,具体可分为两类意思,用法上需结合语境判断。
强调对人或事的主观忽视,觉得其没有价值或不值得关注。
表示因内容复杂、语言障碍等无法读懂/听懂某事物(类似 "not understand")。
后接名词、代词、动名词或宾语从句作宾语,基本结构为:
Don’t make little of her efforts—she worked really hard for this.
别轻视她的努力——她为这事付出了很多。
The manager makes little of the new rules, saying they’re useless.
经理对新规定不以为然,说它们没用。
He made little of his injury and kept playing football.
他没把伤当回事,继续踢足球。
I could make little of his speech—it was full of technical jargon.
我听不懂他的演讲——全是专业术语。
She made little of the instructions and burned the cake.
她没看懂说明,把蛋糕烤糊了。
They made little of the foreign menu, so they asked for a translation.
他们看不懂外国菜单,所以要了一份翻译。
make little of vs make light of
两者都有“不重视”的意思,但侧重不同:
"make little of" 强调“主观认为不重要”(如:没把伤当回事);
"make light of" 强调“轻描淡写/用轻松态度对待”(如:拿生病开玩笑)。
例:
He made light of his failure, laughing it off. (他轻描淡写自己的失败,一笑而过。)
He made little of his failure and tried again. (他没把失败当回事,再次尝试。)
"make little of" 是一个多义短语,需根据宾语(如“建议、感受” vs “演讲、说明”)和语境判断具体含义:
宾语是“抽象事物(努力、规则)”或“人的状态(伤、失败)”→ 不重视;
宾语是“具体信息(演讲、说明、菜单)”→ 难以理解。
日常使用中,“不重视”是更高频的含义。