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你是否有过因自己的行为或想法经常改变而让他人觉得你很难以捉摸？英语中有不少可以用来形容人或事物 “十分多变、难以预测” 的词汇。本期节目就来讲解形容词 “erratic”、“volatile”、“mercurial”、“capricious”、“fickle” 的用法和它们之间的区别。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。I'm Buli.

Phil
And I'm Phil. We have a question from one of our listeners.

Question
Dear BBC 英语教学, I would like to distinguish the nuance between 'erratic', 'volatile', 'mercurial', 'capricious' and 'fickle' which all mean '飘忽的' in Chinese.

Buli
以上这几个形容词都有 “不稳定、变化无常” 的意思，但它们在含义上的侧重点有所不同。本期节目，我们将从 “erratic” 这个词开始，为大家讲解它们之间的区别。

Phil
We can use 'erratic' to describe something that behaves or performs in a way that's unexpected or difficult to predict. Erratic behaviour is unusual or unpredictable. Erratic performance is inconsistent.

Buli
“Erratic” 的意思是 “不稳定的，难以预测的”，这个词被用来描述 “某个动作或行为出乎意料，或者行为或状况没有固定的模式或规律”。让我们来听两个例句。

Examples
The team's performance has been erratic recently – they don't seem to be able to win two games in a row!
（球队最近的表现不太稳定，他们基本不能连续赢下两场比赛！）

People got worried when they noticed his erratic behaviour. He was acting very strangely.
（人们注意到了他的反常行为，为此感到担忧。他的举止很怪异。）

Phil
'Volatile' has a similar meaning to 'erratic'. Something volatile can change suddenly in an unexpected way. However, where 'erratic' tends to focus on something being unusual or inconsistent, the focus of 'volatile' is more on the fact that something can change suddenly and become dangerous.

Buli
“Volatile” 的意思是 “不稳定的，易变的”，形容 “事物突然以一种令人意想不到的方式发生改变”。在我们使用这个词时，通常会想要强调 “变化是快速且剧烈的”，甚至是 “某个情况突然变得危险或极端”。请听两个例句。

Examples
Weather conditions in the mountains can be volatile. They can suddenly change and become much more dangerous.
（山区的天气状况变化无常。天气可能会突然变得非常危险。）

The consumer electronics market is very volatile at the moment. We should wait to launch our new product.
（当前消费电子品市场非常不稳定。我们应该等等再发布新产品。）

Phil
Next, let's look at 'fickle'. 'Fickle' is often used to talk about people's changing opinions and feelings, and often carries the idea that someone is unreliable.

Buli
“Fickle” 这个词通常用于形容 “人的感情或意见变化无常”，特别是 “对某人或某事的兴趣或态度经常改变、不可靠”。下面请听两个例句。

Examples
I never know what my children want to eat – they are so fickle.
（我永远都不知道我的孩子们到底想吃什么，他们总是变来变去。）

Just because she's supporting you now doesn't mean that she'll support your next project. She can be very fickle.
（她现在支持你并不意味着她还会支持你的下一个项目。她有时很善变。）

Phil
'Capricious' is similar, but rather than focusing on unreliability, we're describing someone who acts on impulse – they change how they feel or what they do frequently as they have different ideas or thoughts.

Buli
“Capricious” 的意思是 “反复无常的，任性的”。与 “fickle” 相比，“capricious” 更常用于描述 “某人容易因一时兴起而作出决定或改变”。下面请听两个例句。

Examples
It's hard work when you have a capricious manager – our focus changes every week!
（如果你的经理总是反复无常，你的工作会很辛苦。我们的工作重点每周都在变化！）

I'm in a capricious mood, I keep changing my mind about what I want.
（我今天有点反复无常，我总是改变心意，不确定自己想要什么。）

Buli
上面的例子中我们可以看出，“capricious” 可以用来突出 “某人态度改变得很随意”。

Phil
These adjectives are often quite negative, but there is one that can be used positively, especially when talking about a sports person – and that's 'mercurial'.

Buli
是的，以上这些形容词 “erratic”、“volatile”、“capricious” 和 “fickle” 在表达时通常带有贬义，而 “mercurial” 则通常带有褒义。

Phil
As well as meaning unpredictable, if someone is mercurial, then they might be particularly quick-witted or imaginative. It's often used to describe particularly creative people, especially in sport.

Buli
是的，除了有 “性格或情绪多变、难以捉摸” 的意思外，“mercurial” 还可以用来形容 “思维敏捷、格外有创造力的人”。特别是在是在运动领域，这个词可以形容一个人 “动作灵活多变”。下面请听两个例句。

Examples
She quickly passed to the mercurial winger, who danced and flicked her way past the entire opposing team, before tapping the ball into the empty net.
（她迅速将球传给了这位敏捷的边锋，边锋跳跃着轻巧地突破了对方整支队伍的防守，轻轻地将球踢进了空的球网。）

His mercurial wit meant he was the star of any conversation. He always had something entertaining to say.
（他的机智诙谐让他成为了任何谈话中的焦点。他总是能说出一些有趣的话。）

Buli
最后我们来复习一下这五个可以表示 “不稳定，变化无常” 的形容词。“Erratic” 通常用来描述 “某个行为或表现出乎意料或者难以预测”；“volatile” 强调的是 “某事常出现快速且剧烈的变化”；“fickle” 的意思是 “多变的，善变的”，更多指 “感情或兴趣的不稳定，经常轻易地改变态度”；“capricious” 的意思是 “反复无常的，任性的”，通常指 “某人容易因为心血来潮或情绪波动而发生改变”；“mercurial” 的意思是 “性格或情绪多变、难以捉摸”，也可以用来形容 “某人的思维敏捷、格外有创造力”。

Phil
We hope that we've answered your question. If you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye, everyone!

Phil
Bye!