1. having little money; not rich
貧窮的，沒錢的
They were too poor to afford new shoes.
他們太窮了，買不起新鞋。
The government provides aid for poor families.
政府為貧困家庭提供援助。
He grew up in a poor neighborhood.
他在一個貧窮的社區長大。
Poor Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
poor
adjective
快速理解
What does "Poor" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Poor"?
形容缺乏金錢、品質不佳、或值得同情的人事物。
- 1
貧窮的
EN: having very little money; not having enough money for basic needs.
翻譯: 金錢極少；沒有足夠的錢滿足基本需求。
- 2
低劣的；差的
EN: of low quality; below an acceptable standard.
翻譯: 品質低劣；低於可接受的標準。
- 3
貧乏的；不足的
EN: lacking something important or valuable; not good enough.
翻譯: 缺乏重要或有價值的事物；不夠好。
- 4
可憐的；不幸的
EN: deserving pity or sympathy; unfortunate.
翻譯: 值得憐憫或同情；不幸的。
小提醒：注意 'poor' 除了指『貧窮』，也常用來表示『品質差』或『不足』，例如 'poor performance'（表現不佳）、'poor soil'（貧瘠的土壤）。
發音（How to Pronounce "Poor" in English）
How to pronounce "Poor" in English?"Poor" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Poor" from YouTube Videos
Why Should I Start a Startup? by Michael Seibel
Y Combinator
“like that's the cool thing. oh, yeah, they are actually relying on you having poor sources information like I. everything that a big company does to attract a college kid is 100% orchestrated.”
(1 out of 117)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Poor"?How does "Poor" change by context?
2. of low quality; not good
劣質的，不好的
The company has a poor safety record.
這家公司的安全紀錄很差。
He made a poor decision that cost him his job.
他做了一個糟糕的決定，讓他丟了工作。
The soil here is poor for growing crops.
這裡的土壤貧瘠，不適合種植作物。
3. deserving sympathy; unfortunate
可憐的，不幸的
The poor dog was left out in the rain.
那隻可憐的狗被留在雨中。
Poor John, he failed his driving test again.
可憐的約翰，他又沒通過駕照考試。
She felt sorry for the poor child who had no friends.
她為那個沒有朋友的可怜孩子感到難過。
4. not good at something; lacking skill
不擅長的，缺乏技能的
He is a poor public speaker.
他是一個不擅長公開演講的人。
She has poor eyesight and needs glasses.
她視力不好，需要戴眼鏡。
I'm poor at remembering names.
我不擅長記名字。
5. less than adequate or expected; meager
不足的，微薄的
Attendance at the meeting was poor.
會議的出席率很低。
The team had a poor showing in the first half.
這支隊伍在上半場表現不佳。
We had a poor harvest this year due to the drought.
由於乾旱，我們今年的收成很差。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Poor"?How to make natural sentences with "Poor"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| poor + noun | 貧窮的... | He grew up in a **poor** family. (他在一個貧窮的家庭中長大。) |
| poor + in + noun | 在...方面貧乏/不足 | The soil here is **poor** in nutrients. (這裡的土壤缺乏養分。) |
| the + poor | 窮人（總稱） | The government promised to help **the poor**. (政府承諾幫助窮人。) |
| poor + quality/health/performance etc. | 低劣的品質/糟糕的健康狀況/差勁的表現等 | The product was recalled due to **poor** quality. (該產品因品質低劣被召回。) |
| feel poor | 感到貧窮/拮据 | Even with a job, she sometimes **feels poor**. (即使有工作，她有時還是感到拮据。) |
| relatively/comparatively poor | 相對貧窮的 | The northern region is **relatively poor**. (北部地區相對貧窮。) |
| financially poor | 經濟上貧困的 | They are **financially poor** but rich in spirit. (他們經濟貧困但精神富足。) |
用法說明
How is "Poor" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Poor"?
poor at doing vs poor to do
- poor at doing 用於描述某人在某項技能或活動上能力不足、不擅長。介系詞
at後面接動名詞 (V-ing)。 - poor to do 則較為少見，通常用於評論某個行為或決定是「不明智的」或「不恰當的」，帶有評價意味。形容詞
poor後接不定詞 (to + V)。 - 兩者的核心差異在於：poor at 描述「能力狀態」，而 poor to do 評價「行為本身」。
對比範例： EN: He is poor at expressing his feelings. 翻譯: 他很不擅長表達自己的感受。
EN:It was poor of him to leave without saying goodbye.
翻譯:他不告而別，這樣做很不得體。
總結建議
一般描述「不擅長做某事」時，應使用 poor at doing 的結構。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Poor" and similar words?How to choose "Poor" vs alternatives?
poor vs broke
「poor」通常指長期或普遍的貧窮狀態，而「broke」則指暫時性的、手頭沒錢的狀況。
poor vs bad
「poor」常指品質、能力或條件上的不足或低劣，而「bad」則更廣泛地表示「不好」或「惡劣」。
poor vs needy
「poor」主要描述經濟上的貧窮狀態，而「needy」則強調有迫切需求、需要幫助，且可能超出金錢範疇。
口語用法
How is "Poor" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Poor"?
引述
在引述他人對某事物或情況的負面評價時，常用 "poor" 來轉述，語氣較為客觀。 EN: She said the service at the restaurant was really poor. 翻譯: 她說那間餐廳的服務真的很差。
EN:Everyone's been talking about the poor air quality lately.
翻譯:大家最近都在談論糟糕的空氣品質。
語氣強調
在口語中，可將 "poor" 置於名詞前，並透過語調加強，表達強烈的同情或輕蔑。 EN: Oh, you poor thing! You've been working all day. 翻譯: 噢，你這可憐的傢伙！你已經工作一整天了。
EN:That poor guy has no idea what's about to happen.
翻譯:那倒楣的傢伙完全不知道要發生什麼事。
停頓填充
在組織思緒或尋找合適詞語時，有時會用 "poor" 作為短暫的填充詞，後面常接 "like" 或 "you know"。 EN: The movie was just... poor, like, really disappointing. 翻譯: 那部電影就是... 很差，你知道，真的很令人失望。
EN:His performance has been, poor... you know, not up to standard.
翻譯:他的表現一直，很差... 你知道，不符合標準。
正式寫作注意：在學術、商業或正式報告中，應避免將 "poor" 用作填充詞或帶有過於主觀的同情語氣。建議使用更精確、中性的詞彙，如 "unsatisfactory"、"substandard"、"disadvantaged" 或 "inadequate" 來描述品質或狀況。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Poor"?What fixed phrases with "Poor" should I remember?
poor quality
adjective + noun
品質低劣的
poor performance
adjective + noun
表現不佳
poor health
adjective + noun
健康狀況不佳
poor judgment
adjective + noun
判斷力差
poor excuse
adjective + noun
蹩腳的藉口
in a poor light
prepositional phrase
以負面的角度
poor soul
adjective + noun
可憐的人
a poor substitute for
noun phrase
一個糟糕的替代品
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Poor"?Which "Poor" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×He is a poor.
✓He is poor.
在英語中，'poor' 作為形容詞時，前面不需要加冠詞 'a' 來表示一個貧窮的人。'Poor' 本身是形容詞，直接修飾主詞。若要指「一個貧窮的人」，應使用名詞 'a poor person' 或 'a poor man'。
×He performed poor in the exam.
✓He performed poorly in the exam.
'Poor' 是形容詞，用來修飾名詞或描述狀態。修飾動詞（如 perform）時，應使用副詞 'poorly'，意為「糟糕地」。
×This is a poor quality product. (redundant)
✓This is a poor product. / The quality of this product is poor.
'Poor' 本身已包含「品質低劣」的意思，因此 'poor quality' 雖然常用，但在某些語境下略顯冗餘。更自然的說法是直接用 'poor' 修飾產品，或分開說明 'The quality is poor.'。
×The government is trying to reduce poor.
✓The government is trying to reduce poverty.
'Poor' 是形容詞，意為「貧窮的」。要表達「貧窮」這個抽象概念或狀態，應使用名詞 'poverty'。
×I feel poor for him.
✓I feel sorry for him. / I pity him.
雖然 'poor' 可以表示「可憐的」（如 'poor thing'），但表達「為某人感到難過或同情」時，習慣用 'feel sorry for someone' 或 'pity someone'。'I feel poor for him' 是中式英文。
×He is more poor than his brother.
✓He is poorer than his brother.
'Poor' 是單音節形容詞，其比較級和最高級形式為規則變化：poor → poorer → poorest。通常不使用 'more poor'。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Poor"?What are tense/participle forms of "Poor"?