begin
begin
be∙gin / bɪˈgɪn ; bɪˈgɪn /
◙verb (past tense began) / -ˈgæn ; -ˈgæn / (past participle begun) / -ˈgʌn ; -ˈgʌn / present participle beginning
1. START DOING STH 开始做某事, [I,T] to start doing something
• 开始; 着手:
»As everybody's here, let's begin.
大家都到齐了，我们就开始吧。
»In the third year students begin the study of classical Chinese.
学生在第三年开始学古代汉语。
»The President begins talks with the Prime Minister tonight.
总统将于今晚和首相展开会谈。
»begin to do sth
»She began to feel a sense of panic.
她开始有一种恐慌的感觉。
»begin doing sth
»I began teaching in 1984.
我在 1984 年开始教书。
2. START HAPPENING 开始发生, [I,T] if something begins, or you begin something, it starts to happen or exist from a particular time
• （使）开始〔发生或存在〕:
»It was the coldest winter since records began.
那是有史以来最寒冷的冬天。
▪ [+ at ]
»The meeting begins at 10.30 am.
会议上午十点半开始。
3. DO FIRST 首先做, [I] if you begin with something or begin by doing something, this is the first thing you do
• 〔以…〕开始:
▪ [+ with ]
»Shall we begin with a prayer?
我们先做个祷告好吗？
»begin by doing sth
»I'll begin by thanking you all for being here tonight.
首先我要感谢大家今晚来到这里。
4. BOOK / WORD ETC 书/单词等, [I] if a book, film, or word begins with something, it starts with a particular event or letter
• 〔书、电影或单词以…〕开始（开头）:
▪ [+ with ]
»'Psychosis' begins with a P.
psychosis 一词以字母 p 开头。
5. SPEECH 话语, [I,T] to start speaking
• 开始（说话）:
»'Ladies and gentlemen,' he began. 'I am delighted to be here.'
“女士们，先生们，”他开始发言说，“我很高兴来到这里。”
6. to begin with
a. [spoken] used to introduce the first and most important point you want to make
• 首先:
»Well, to begin with, he shouldn't even have been driving my car.
好吧，首先他就不应该开我的车。
b. used to say that something was already in a particular condition before something else happened
• 原来:
»I didn't break it! It was like that to begin with.
不是我弄坏的！ 它原来就是这样的。
c. during the first part of a process or activity
• 起初，开始的时候:
»The kids helped me to begin with, but they soon got bored.
开始时孩子们都来帮忙，但他们很快就厌烦了。
7. can't begin to understand / imagine etc, [spoken] used to emphasize how difficult something is to understand etc
• 根本无法理解/想像等:
»I can't begin to imagine how awful it was.
我简直无法想像情况有多糟。
begin (sth) as sthphr v
1. to be a particular thing at the start of your existence, working life etc
• 〔指工作等〕从…开始，从…做起:
»Roger began his career as an office boy.
罗杰的事业是从办公室杂务员开始的。
