about

英 [ə'baʊt] 美[ə'baʊt]

近义词upon

基本词汇高频词CET6考研TEM4CET4

about 大约

来自古英语onbutan, a- 同on , -b同by, -ut为out词根。字面意思为在外面的,后指大约。

about: about: [OE] About in Old English times meant ‘around the outside of’; it did not develop its commonest present-day meaning, ‘concerning’, until the 13th century. In its earliest incarnation it was onbūtan, a compound made up of on and būtan ‘outside’ (this is the same word as modern English but, which was itself originally a compound, formed from the ancestors of by and out – so broken down into its ultimate constituents, about is on by out).
=> but, by, out
about (adv.): Old English abutan, earlier onbutan "on the outside of," from on (see on; also see a- (1)) + be "by" (see by) + utan "outside," from ut (see out (adv.)). By 13c. it had forced out Old English ymbe, ymbutan for meaning "in the neighborhood of." Abouts, with adverbial genitive, still found in hereabouts, etc., probably is a northern dialectal form. About face as a military command (short for right about face) is first attested 1861, American English.

1. No matter where you go in life or how old you get, there's always something new to learn about. After all, life is full of surprises.: 不管你生活在哪里，你有多少岁，总有新东西要学习，毕竟，生活总是充满惊喜。

2. Instead of complaining about what's wrong, be grateful for what's right.: 别抱怨不好的事，要对好的事心存感恩。

3. If you're not satisfied with the life you're living, don't just complain. Do something about it.: 对于现况的不满，不能只是抱怨，要有勇气作出改变。

4. It's not about making the amazing saves. It's the little things and small things that made great gatekeepers great.: 伟大的门将不是靠神奇的扑救成就，而是靠注重小事和细节成功。（Tim Howard美国国家队门将）

5. Doctors are complaining about being barraged by drug-company salesmen.: 医生们抱怨他们疲于应付医药公司的销售人员。