character
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++char·ac·ter /ˈkærəktə $ -ər/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 all SB’s qualities 某人所有的品质 [countable usually singular]CHARACTER/PERSONALITY the particular combination of qualities that makes someone a particular type of person 〔某人的〕个性，性格 → characteristic He has a cheerful but quiet character. 他的性格乐观文静。 Children grow up with a mixture of character traits (=character qualities) from both sides of their family. 儿童在成长过程中会把父母亲双方的性格特点都继承下来。 his temper and other character flaws (=bad qualities) 他的火爆脾气和其他性格缺陷in character/out of character (=typical or untypical of someone’s character) 符合/不符合…的个性 He swore, which was out of character for him. 他咒骂了起来，这与他的性格不符。the English/French etc character Openness is at the heart of the American character. 坦诚是美国人的性格特点。character sketch (=a description of someone’s character) 性格特写，个性描写2 person 人物 [countable] a) Aa person in a book, play, film etc 〔书、剧本、电影等中的〕人物，角色 Candida is the most interesting character in the play. 坎迪达是剧中最有趣的人物。 In the story, the main character has left his girlfriend and baby. 故事中，主人公离开了他的女友和孩子。 Everyone recognizes Disney’s cartoon characters. 迪士尼的卡通人物尽人皆知。 b) PERSON/PEOPLEa person of a particular type, especially a strange or dishonest one 某一类型的人；〔尤指〕怪人，不诚实的人 a couple of shady characters standing on the corner 站在角落里的几个形迹可疑的人 I’m considered a reformed character these days (=someone who has stopped doing bad things). 现在我被认为是改邪归正了。 c) INTERESTINGan interesting and unusual person 有趣的人；不同寻常的人 Linda was something of a character. 琳达可是个有趣的人。3 qualities of STH 某物的特色 [singular, uncountable]CHARACTER OF something the particular combination of features and qualities that makes a thing or place different from all others 特点，特征，特色 SYN naturecharacter of The whole character of the school has changed. 这所学校的特色已经完全变了。 the unspoilt character of the coast 海滨未遭破坏的特色景致in character The southern state became more nationalist in character. 这个南方州的民族主义色彩变得更加鲜明了。4 moral strength 道德力量 [uncountable]GOOD/MORAL a combination of qualities such as courage, loyalty, and honesty that are admired and regarded as valuable 人格，好的品质，品性 a woman of great character 一位品格高尚的妇人 Schools were created to teach reading and mathematics, not moral character. 那时创办学校是为了教学生识字认数，而不是进行道德教育。 It takes strength of character to admit you are wrong. 承认自己的错误是需要勇气的。 Sport can be character building (=develop good moral qualities). 体育运动可以培养良好的品格。5 interesting quality 有趣的特点 [uncountable]CHARACTER/PERSONALITY a quality that makes someone or something special and interesting 〔使某人或某物特别或有趣的〕特征 a red wine with a meaty character 一种味道浓郁的红葡萄酒 suburban houses that lack character 没有特色的郊区住宅6 reputation 声誉 [uncountable] formalREPUTATION the opinion that people have about whether you are a good person and can be trusted 声誉，名望7 letter/sign 字母/符号 [countable]SL a letter, mark, or sign used in writing, printing, or on a computer 〔书写、印刷或计算机上的〕字，字体，符号 COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2a: ADJECTIVES/NOUN + characterthe main/central/leading character 主角/中心人物/主要人物Alec is the central character in the play. 亚历克是剧中的中心人物。nthe lead character (=in a play, film, or television series)DiCaprio played the lead character in Titanic.a minor character 配角，次要人物Two of the minor characters get killed. 有两名配角死了。a television/movie/cartoon character 电视剧/电影/卡通片人物Who’s your favourite television character? 你最喜欢的电视剧人物是谁？a comic/tragic character (=a funny or sad one) 喜剧/悲剧人物Homer Simpson is a great comic character. 霍默•辛普森是非常著名的喜剧人物。fictional/fictitious (=not existing in real life) 虚构的People sometimes forget that television characters are fictional. 人们有时候会忘记电视剧人物是虚构的。convincing (=seeming like a real person) 有说服力的The characters were totally convincing. 这些人物绝对有说服力。a sympathetic character (=one you like) 讨人喜欢的人物nIn the book, Jeff isn’t a sympathetic character.verbsplay a character 扮演角色I wanted to play the character of Danny. 我想演丹尼这个角色。portray a character (=show one in a play, book, film etc) 刻画人物The main characters are brilliantly portrayed. 主要人物刻画得非常出色。ndevelop a character (=make a character become more interesting)The movie didn’t develop his character as well as the book did.nnounscharacter development (=the process of developing characters)I thought the plot was boring and there wasn’t much character development.a character actor (=an actor who plays interesting or unusual characters)He’s a well-known character actor.Examples from the Corpus
character• Carmen Maura plays the passionate, beautiful Pepa, the central character of director Pedro Almodovar's movie.• Ellis is a man of exceptional character.• Thus, when you insert it into text, existing characters move to the right and down to make room.• Her female characters often have strong, important relationships with other women.• Each group is named after a fictional character like Mickey Mouse.• Ancient literature uses fictional characters to illustrate moral dilemmas.• Her husband was a man of good character, well-liked and respected by his colleagues.• Her behavior last night revealed a lot about her character.• Rex may be the ideal idol to many men but you will have to settle with playing his character in the game.• His actions during the war showed his character.• Liquids are different in character from both solids and gases.• Jed is one of most likeable characters in the play.• Beneath his brash, noisy exterior was a much shrewder and lonelier character than he admitted.• A couple of suspicious-looking characters were standing outside the house.• He writes Westerns in which the main characters are gay.• It's a red wine with an almost meaty character.• She did forget the name of the other most memorable character, bearded and effusive.• She is the only character with a named chapter in each of the four sections.• He was a repulsive character.• A candidate's character and qualifications are more important than past experience.• A person's character is very important to me when I decide who I want to work with.• She gave up trying to analyse Guy Sterne's character on the basis of his bookshelves.• The pronunciations given for these components, and for the characters of which they form part, are those of present-day Mandarin.• It was a wonderful story -- the characters were so convincing.• King Henry is the name given to a donkey, the title character in the children's book, 'King Henry Saves Christmas'.• Each neighborhood has its own unique character.• Now they're arguably the easiest of all classics to look after, and come brimming with character as standard.character traits• The inviolable Gedge formed character traits as a child that give a fascinating insight into his later life.reformed character• Moz had become a reformed character.• But he was not a reformed character.• Nutty began to think Nails was a reformed character.• Peter O'Toole is another reformed character.character of• Residents want to preserve the character of their neighborhoods.strength of character• But it is proof of his astonishing strength of character.• She had enormous strength of character.• No man deserves to be praised for his goodness unless he has strength of character to be wicked.• Siefert described McCrea's strength of character in a difficult situation.• Self-discipline was all that was needed, he said: concentration, Sitzfleisch, strength of character.• People differ in their knowledge, skills, strength of character and understanding.• It takes a special strength of character to spend decades doggedly pursuing a theory that attracts harsh opposition.• Inevitably, the interlude material should not have the strength of character of the main section material.• She still clung to life by some unknown strength of character and Fon loved her for it.• It takes unusual strength of character to fight against so much opposition.of ... good character• The goodness of her own good characters was a thing she always insisted on, and felt to be imperfectly appreciated.• Mr Gore has shown himself through the years to be a man of good character.• Mr. David Josse, mitigating, said Youngman was a man of previous good character who behaved inexplicably that evening.• When hiring band members, Lawrence always preferred less talented musicians of good character over brilliant musicians of unstable character.• Criminals must be punished, but people of good character must be rewarded.• But what was most interesting was her praise of the good characters.• Ceylon A slightly fragrant tea of good character for all-round drinking.• Only people over 70 were eligible, and initially there was an income test and also a test of good character.From Longman Business Dictionarycharacterchar‧ac‧ter /ˈkærəktə-ər/ noun [countable] COMPUTING a number, letter, or other sign used on a computerOrigin character (1300-1400) Old French caractere, from Latin character “mark, particular quality”, from Greek, from charassein “to make a mark in a surface”char·ac·ter noun →COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
Business of Corpus the particular combination qualities that
character
char‧ac‧ter S1 W1 /ˈkærəktə, ˈkærɪktə $ -ər/
noun
He has a cheerful but quiet character.
Children grow up with a mixture of character traits (=character qualities) from both sides of their family.
his temper and other character flaws (=bad qualities)
in character/out of character (=typical or untypical of someone’s character)
He swore, which was out of character for him.
the English/French etc character
Openness is at the heart of the American character.
character sketch (=a description of someone’s character)
2. PERSON [countable]
a. a person in a book, play, film etc:
Candida is the most interesting character in the play.
In the story, the main character has left his girlfriend and baby.
Everyone recognizes Disney’s cartoon characters.
b. a person of a particular type, especially a strange or dishonest one:
a couple of shady characters standing on the corner
I’m considered a reformed character these days (=someone who has stopped doing bad things).
c. an interesting and unusual person:
Linda was something of a character.
3. QUALITIES OF SOMETHING [singular, uncountable] the particular combination of features and qualities that makes a thing or place different from all others
SYN nature
character of
The whole character of the school has changed.
the unspoilt character of the coast
in character
The southern state became more nationalist in character.
4. MORAL STRENGTH [uncountable] a combination of qualities such as courage, loyalty, and honesty that are admired and regarded as valuable:
a woman of great character
Schools were created to teach reading and mathematics, not moral character.
It takes strength of character to admit you are wrong.
Sport can be character building (=develop good moral qualities).
5. INTERESTING QUALITY [uncountable] a quality that makes someone or something special and interesting:
a red wine with a meaty character
suburban houses that lack character
6. REPUTATION [uncountable] formal the opinion that people have about whether you are a good person and can be trusted:
a man of previous good character
The campaign was accused of character assassination (=an unfair attack on someone’s character) because of its negative ads.
His defence called several people as character witnesses (=people who think that someone has a good character).
Mr Wetherby wrote him a character reference (=a statement about his good qualities).
7. LETTER/SIGN [countable] a letter, mark, or sign used in writing, printing, or on a computer:
the Chinese character for ‘horse’
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + character
▪the main/central/leading character Alec is the central character in the play.
▪the lead character (=in a play, film, or television series) DiCaprio played the lead character in Titanic.
▪a minor character Two of the minor characters get killed.
▪a television/movie/cartoon character Who’s your favourite television character?
▪a comic/tragic character (=a funny or sad one) Homer Simpson is a great comic character.
▪fictional/fictitious (=not existing in real life) People sometimes forget that television characters are fictional.
▪convincing (=seeming like a real person) The characters were totally convincing.
▪a sympathetic character (=one you like) In the book, Jeff isn’t a sympathetic character.
■ verbs
▪play a character I wanted to play the character of Danny.
▪portray a character (=show one in a play, book, film etc) The main characters are brilliantly portrayed.
▪develop a character (=make a character become more interesting) The movie didn’t develop his character as well as the book did.
■ nouns
▪character development (=the process of developing characters) I thought the plot was boring and there wasn’t much character development.
▪a character actor (=an actor who plays interesting or unusual characters) He’s a well-known character actor.
char‧ac‧ter S1 W1 /ˈkærəktə, ˈkærɪktə $ -ər/
noun Word Family: noun: character, characteristic, characterization; adjective: characteristic ≠ uncharacteristic, characterless; verb: characterize; adverb: characteristically ≠ uncharacteristically
Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: caractere, from Latin character 'mark, particular quality', from Greek, from charassein 'to make a mark in a surface'
1. ALL SB’S QUALITIES [countable usually singular] the particular combination of qualities that makes someone a particular type of person ⇨ characteristic:Language: Old French
Origin: caractere, from Latin character 'mark, particular quality', from Greek, from charassein 'to make a mark in a surface'
in character/out of character (=typical or untypical of someone’s character)
the English/French etc character
character sketch (=a description of someone’s character)
2. PERSON [countable]
a. a person in a book, play, film etc:
b. a person of a particular type, especially a strange or dishonest one:
c. an interesting and unusual person:
3. QUALITIES OF SOMETHING [singular, uncountable] the particular combination of features and qualities that makes a thing or place different from all others
SYN nature
character of
in character
4. MORAL STRENGTH [uncountable] a combination of qualities such as courage, loyalty, and honesty that are admired and regarded as valuable:
5. INTERESTING QUALITY [uncountable] a quality that makes someone or something special and interesting:
6. REPUTATION [uncountable] formal the opinion that people have about whether you are a good person and can be trusted:
7. LETTER/SIGN [countable] a letter, mark, or sign used in writing, printing, or on a computer:
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Being a writer 当作家
write/publish literature/poetry/fiction/a book/a story/a poem/a novel/a review/an autobiography写／发表文学作品／诗集／小说／书／故事／诗歌／长篇小说／评论／自传 become a writer/novelist/playwright成为作家／小说家／剧作家 find/have a publisher/an agent找到／有出版商／代理人 have a new book out出版一部新书 edit/revise/proofread a book/text/manuscript编辑／修订／校对书／文章／原稿 dedicate a book/poem to…把一本书／一首诗献给…
Plot, character and atmosphere 情节、人物和氛围
construct/create/weave/weave sth into a complex narrative构思／创作／编写／把某事编成一部复杂的叙事小说 advance/drive the plot推进故事情节的发展 introduce/present the protagonist/a character介绍主人公／一个人物 describe/depict/portray a character (as…)/(sb as) a hero/villain描述人物／英雄／坏蛋；把一个人物描绘成…；把某人描绘成英雄／坏蛋 create an exciting/a tense atmosphere营造一种令人兴奋／紧张的气氛 build/heighten the suspense/tension制造／增加悬念／紧张气氛 evoke/capture the pathos of the situation唤起对这种状况的同情 convey emotion/an idea/an impression/a sense of…传达…情感／思想；给人…印象／感觉 engage the reader吸引读者 seize/capture/grip the (reader's) imagination抓住（读者的）想象力 arouse/elicit emotion/sympathy (in the reader)唤起（读者的）情感／同情 lack imagination/emotion/structure/rhythm缺乏想象力／情感／精心组织／节奏感
Language, style and imagery 语言、风格和形象语言
use/employ language/imagery/humour/( humor/an image/a symbol/a metaphor/a deviceespecially
使用语言／形象语言／幽默／意象／象征／暗喻／手段 use/adopt/develop a style/technique使用／采用／形成一种风格／技巧 be rich in/be full of symbolism富含象征意义 evoke images of…/a sense of…/a feeling of…唤起…的形象／感觉 create/achieve an effect创造／取得效果 maintain/lighten the tone维持／缓和基调 introduce/develop an idea/a theme引入／发展一种思想／一个主题 inspire a novel/a poet/sb's work/sb's imagination促成小说的创作；给诗人以灵感；促成某人作品的诞生；激发某人的想象力
Reading and criticism 阅读与评论
read an author/sb's work/fiction/poetry/a text/a poem/a novel/a chapter/a passage读一个作家的作品／某人的著作／小说／诗集／一篇文章／一首诗／一部小说／一个章节／一段文章 review a book/a novel/sb's work评论一本书／一部小说／某人的作品 give sth/get/have/receive a good/bad review给予／得到好评／恶评 be hailed (as)/be recognized as a masterpiece被誉为一部杰作 quote a phrase/line/stanza/passage/author引用一个短语／一行诗／一节诗／一段文章／作者的话 provoke/spark discussion/criticism引发讨论／评论 study/interpret/understand a text/passage研读／解读／理解一篇文章／一段文章 translate sb's work/a text/a passage/a novel/a poem翻译某人的作品／一篇文章／一段文章／一部小说／一首诗
