“take a stab at”是英语口语中高频的非正式表达,核心含义是“尝试(做某事)”,尤其强调“在没有十足把握、经验或不确定能否成功时,试探性地试一把”。
字面源于“stab(刺、戳)”的动作——就像“试着刺一下”(不一定能命中),引申为“对某件没把握的事,鼓起勇气尝试”。
本质是:I’m not sure I can do it, but I’ll try anyway.(我不确定能做好,但还是试试。)
结构:`take a stab at + 名词/代词/动名词`(因“at”是介词,后面必须接名词性成分)。
关键:突出“试探性”,隐含“结果未知,但愿意尝试”的态度。
通过不同语境的例子,快速掌握其用法:
I don’t know the exact formula, but I’ll take a stab at solving the math problem.(我不知道准确公式,但我试着解这道数学题。)
Can you take a stab at answering the teacher’s question?(你能试着回答老师的问题吗?)
My mom took a stab at making sushi yesterday—even though it looked messy, it tasted great!(我妈昨天试着做寿司——虽然卖相不好,但味道不错!)
I’ve never painted before, but I want to take a stab at it this weekend.(我从没画过画,但这周末想试试。)
My bike’s tire is flat—can you take a stab at fixing it?(我的自行车爆胎了,你能试试修吗?)
The Wi-Fi is down—let’s take a stab at resetting the router first.(Wi-Fi断了,我们先试着重启路由器吧。)
Let’s take a stab at how many people will come to the party—maybe 20?(我们猜猜会有多少人来派对——大概20个?)
Can you take a stab at guessing her age? She looks young, but I think she’s 35.(你能试着猜她的年龄吗?她看起来年轻,但我觉得35岁。)
take a shot at:和“take a stab at”完全同义(更偏美式口语,更常用);
have a go at:通用“尝试”,可互换(如:I’ll have a go at fixing the sink. 我试试修水槽。);
try one’s hand at:强调“初次尝试某技能”(如:He’s trying his hand at playing the guitar. 他在尝试弹吉他。);
场合:仅限非正式口语(朋友、同事闲聊),不适合正式写作(如论文、商务邮件);
语气:轻松、试探,没有“全力以赴”的压力,更像“姑且一试”。
总结:“take a stab at”就是“没把握但愿意试”的口语化表达,记住后面接名词/动名词,日常对话中用它,会让你的英语更自然!