1. to draw milk from a cow or other animal
擠(牛、羊等動物的)奶
The farmer milks the cows twice a day.
農夫每天擠兩次牛奶。
She learned how to milk a goat.
她學會了如何擠羊奶。
「milk」作動詞時,主要指從動物身上擠奶,或用於比喻從某人或某物中榨取利益。
擠奶
EN: to draw milk from a cow, goat, etc.
翻譯: 從牛、羊等動物身上擠出奶。
榨取
EN: to exploit a situation or person for one's own advantage.
翻譯: 利用某種情況或某人來為自己謀取好處。
抽取
EN: to extract venom, sap, or information.
翻譯: 抽取毒液、樹液或資訊。
小提醒:注意「milk」作動詞時,常帶有負面含義,指不當或過度地榨取利益,例如「milk the system」(鑽制度漏洞謀利)。
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Milk" from YouTube Videos
Billy Graham: Technology, faith and human shortcomings
TED
“I milked cows every morning and I had to milk the same cows every evening when I came home from school.”
1. to draw milk from a cow or other animal
擠(牛、羊等動物的)奶
The farmer milks the cows twice a day.
農夫每天擠兩次牛奶。
She learned how to milk a goat.
她學會了如何擠羊奶。
2. to exploit or take advantage of a situation for personal gain
榨取;利用…牟利
The company is milking its popular product for all it's worth.
這家公司正從其熱門產品中榨取所有價值。
Politicians often milk public sympathy after a tragedy.
政治人物常在悲劇後利用公眾的同情心。
3. to extract venom from a snake or other animal
抽取(毒蛇等的)毒液
Researchers milk the snakes to produce antivenom.
研究人員抽取蛇毒以製造抗蛇毒血清。
It's dangerous to milk a cobra without proper training.
未經適當訓練就抽取眼鏡蛇的毒液是很危險的。
4. to get as much as possible from something, such as time or an opportunity
充分利用(時間、機會等)
He's milking his vacation by visiting every attraction.
他正透過參觀每個景點來充分利用他的假期。
The comedian milked the joke for another five minutes of laughter.
那位喜劇演員把這個笑話發揮到極致,又逗笑了大家五分鐘。
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| milk + [something] (for something) | 從…榨取(金錢、利益等) | The corrupt official tried to milk the company for bribes. (那名貪官試圖向那家公司榨取賄賂。) |
| milk + [something] (for all it's worth) | 充分利用,榨乾…的所有價值 | The comedian milked the joke for all it was worth, getting laughs for several minutes. (那位喜劇演員把這個笑話的價值榨乾,讓觀眾笑了好幾分鐘。) |
| milk + [an animal] | 擠(牛、羊等)的奶 | The farmer milks the cows twice a day. (那位農夫一天擠兩次牛奶。) |
| milk + [a situation/emotion] | 從(某種情況或情緒)中獲益 | The politician tried to milk the public's sympathy after the scandal. (那位政治人物試圖在醜聞後利用公眾的同情心。) |
對比例句: EN: The farmer milks the cows twice a day. 翻譯: 農夫每天擠兩次牛奶。
EN:The reporter tried to milk the scandal for all the headlines he could get.
翻譯:那名記者試圖從這樁醜聞中榨取所有能上頭條的新聞。
EN:He's just milking his minor injury to avoid work.
翻譯:他只是藉著一點小傷來逃避工作。
EN:She milked her family connections for a lucrative business deal.
翻譯:她利用家族人脈,榨取了一筆利潤豐厚的生意。
在表達「為獲取特定利益而利用」時,使用 milk something for something 結構會比單用 milk something 更為精確。
milk vs extract
「milk」通常指從動物(如牛、羊)身上擠出乳汁,或用於比喻榨取利益;「extract」則指透過物理或化學方法從物質中取出精華或成分,範圍更廣。
milk vs squeeze
「milk」專指擠出乳汁或系統性地榨取;「squeeze」泛指施加壓力使液體流出或物體變形,動作更廣泛。
milk vs exploit
「milk」指為自身利益而利用,但程度較輕,常指榨取金錢、資訊;「exploit」則指不道德或自私地充分利用,剝削意味更強烈。
在口語中,'milk' 常用來引述或轉述某人想從某事中獲取好處的意圖或行為。 EN: He's just trying to milk the situation for sympathy. 翻譯: 他只是想利用這個情況來博取同情。
EN:She knows how to milk a joke for all it's worth.
翻譯:她很懂得把一個笑話的價值榨乾(講到最好笑)。
當想強調持續、過度或不放過任何機會地索取時,會加重 'milk' 的語氣。 EN: Come on, don't milk it! We get that you won. 翻譯: 拜託,別再榨取(誇耀)了!我們知道你贏了。
EN:They've really milked that franchise dry with all these sequels.
翻譯:他們拍這麼多續集,真的把那個系列榨乾了。
在思考如何描述某人過度利用某事時,'milk' 可作為一個生動的選詞出現在短暫停頓後。 EN: He's not just using his injury... he's totally milking it. 翻譯: 他不只是利用他的傷勢…他根本是在徹底榨取它的價值。
EN:The whole speech was just... milking the audience's emotions.
翻譯:整場演講根本就是…在榨取觀眾的情緒。
注意:以上口語用法帶有強烈的比喻和主觀評價色彩,通常用於非正式對話或評論中。在正式寫作或報告中,應使用更中性的詞彙,如 'exploit'、'take undue advantage of' 或 'capitalize on' 來替代,以避免顯得過於口語化或帶有偏見。
milk something for all it's worth
milk [sth] for all it's worth
充分利用某事物以獲取最大利益或好處
milk the situation
milk the situation
利用某種情勢為自己謀利
milk someone dry
milk [sb] dry
榨乾某人(的錢財或資源)
milk a cow
milk a cow
擠牛奶
milk the clock
milk the clock
(比賽中)拖延時間以保持領先
milk it
milk it
誇大或延續(如傷病、成就)以博取更多關注或好處
milk something for sympathy
milk [sth] for sympathy
利用某事來博取同情
×I milk the cow every morning to get milk.
✓I milk the cow every morning.
The verb 'milk' already means 'to get milk from'. Adding 'to get milk' is redundant.
×She is milking the information from him.
✓She is trying to milk information from him.
While 'milk' can mean 'to extract something (like information) with effort', it is often used in a continuous tense with an attempt ('trying to') or a result, not typically as a simple ongoing action without context.
×He milked out the last drop.
✓He milked the last drop from the bottle.
The phrasal verb 'milk out' is not standard. The verb 'milk' is transitive and takes a direct object (the source).
×This cow milks well.
✓This cow is a good milker. / This cow produces a lot of milk.
Using 'milk' intransitively to describe an animal's milk-producing ability is rare and non-standard in modern English. Use descriptive phrases instead.
×They milk the benefits of the system.
✓They milk the system for (all its) benefits.
The figurative use of 'milk' follows the pattern 'milk [source] for [gain]'. The gain (benefits) should be introduced with 'for'.