“dedicate oneself to”是一个正式且带有强烈承诺感的英语短语,核心含义是:
强调将个人的时间、精力、注意力甚至一生完全投入到某件事(目标、事业、活动或他人)中,带有“执着、奉献”的情感色彩。
1、 结构要求:
主语(人)+ dedicate oneself to + 名词/代词/动名词(doing)
(注意:这里的“to”是介词,不是不定式符号,因此后面不能接动词原形!)
2、 oneself的呼应:
“oneself”要与主语的人称一致,例如:
I → myself
You → yourself/yourselves
He/She → himself/herself
They → themselves
通过具体场景理解用法:
1、 投入事业/职业:
He has dedicated himself to his research on renewable energy for decades.
(他几十年来一直致力于可再生能源的研究。)
2、 投入公益/助人:
She dedicated herself to helping homeless children after retiring.
(退休后,她全身心投入到帮助无家可归的儿童中。)
3、 投入目标/爱好:
They dedicated themselves to improving the local park’s facilities.
(他们致力于改善当地公园的设施。)
4、 投入情感/关系(较少见,但可用于强调专注):
He dedicated himself to being a better father after his divorce.
(离婚后,他致力于成为更好的父亲。)
与“dedicate oneself to”含义相近但语气略有差异的表达:
devote oneself to:更日常,强调“分配时间/精力”(如devote oneself to study);
commit oneself to:强调“承诺、承担责任”(如commit oneself to a project);
devote one’s life to:更强调“一生奉献”(如devote one’s life to science)。
❌ 错误:She dedicated herself to help the poor.(to后接动词原形)
✅ 正确:She dedicated herself to helping the poor.(to后接动名词)
“dedicate oneself to”是表达“专注奉献”的正式用语,适用于描述对长期目标、重要事业或有意义的事情的投入。只要记住“to是介词,后接doing/名词”,就能准确使用啦!