Word · Frequency #16604
balkans
巴尔干半岛各国；巴尔干国家
the Balkan countries collectively
- 1.
n. the major mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula；n. the Balkan countries collectively
巴尔干半岛各国；巴尔干半岛地区
巴尔干山脉；巴尔干半岛各国；巴尔干半岛地区
In use
We spent two weeks traveling through the Balkans last summer.
She is writing a book about the history and culture of the Balkans.
The mountains in the Balkans are popular with hikers.
the Balkans + plural verb
Balkans 是复数地理名词，通常与 the 连用；作主语时，谓语常用复数。
The Balkans are a beautiful region in southeastern Europe.
巴尔干地区是欧洲东南部一个美丽的地区。
in the Balkans
Many traditional dishes are popular in the Balkans.
许多传统菜肴在巴尔干地区很受欢迎。
visit + the Balkans
visit 后直接接地名，不加介词。
They plan to visit the Balkans next year.
他们计划明年去巴尔干地区旅游。
Common mistakes
Balkans are famous for their history.The Balkans are famous for their history.
Balkans 是复数地理专有名词，表示‘巴尔干半岛各国/地区’，这类地名（如 the Alps、the Netherlands）前必须加定冠词 the。单独用 Balkans 不符合英语习惯，所以应说 the Balkans。
The Balkans is a region in southeastern Europe.The Balkans are a region in southeastern Europe.
The Balkans 虽在中文里常被理解为‘一个地区’，但英语中它是以 -s 结尾的复数专有名词，谓语动词要用复数，因此 is 应改为 are。
We visited several Balkans countries.We visited several Balkan countries.
Balkans 是名词，不能放在名词前作定语；修饰 country 等名词时要用形容词 Balkan（如 Balkan countries、Balkan Peninsula），所以 Balkans 应改为 Balkan。
Connections
Collocations
- the Balkans
- 巴尔干半岛（地区）
- The Balkans have a rich and complex history.巴尔干半岛有着丰富而复杂的历史。
- Western Balkans
- 西巴尔干地区
- The Western Balkans are expected to join the EU in the coming years.西巴尔干国家预计将在未来几年加入欧盟。
Idioms & figurative uses
- the powder keg of the Balkans
- 巴尔干火药桶（比喻随时可能爆发冲突的危险地区）The assassination turned the region into the powder keg of the Balkans.那次暗杀使该地区变成了巴尔干火药桶。
Pop culture & quotes
- The Balkans produce more history than they can consume.
- 巴尔干半岛产生的历史比它们能承受的还多。Churchill's famous remark about the Balkans is often quoted to describe the region's turbulent history.丘吉尔关于巴尔干半岛的名言常被引用，用来描述该地区动荡的历史。
Synonyms
Learner notes
Memory Tip
把 balkans 记成中文译音“巴尔干”，看到它就想东南欧那个半岛上的一片国家。
Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：geography、history、news Balkans是复数专有名词，语气中性；多用于地理、历史和国际新闻等语境，常指巴尔干半岛各国。词典中也可指巴尔干山脉，作此义讲时多见于地理描述。
Grammar Note
通常与 the 连用，视为复数。
Pronunciation & Spelling
Balkan (/ˈbɔːlkən/) sounds like the base of Balkans (minus the final /z/); balk (/bɔːk/) and chalk (/tʃɔːk/) are lookalikes with a silent l, and Baltic (/ˈbɔːltɪk/) and balcony (/ˈbælkəni/) differ in vowel or ending.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT.