Word
liminal
阈限的；临界的
Of or relating to a threshold; being at or near a boundary or limit.
- 1.
Of or pertaining to an entrance or threshold.
关于入口或门槛的。
- 2.
Pertaining to or in a state that is in-between or transitional between two (or more) other states, while belonging to neither; pertaining to or in a state such as to be neither definitively in a particular other state or category nor definitively outside it.
处于两种或多种状态之间的过渡状态,既不属于前者也不属于后者；既不明确属于某一特定状态或类别,也不明确处于其外。
- 3.
Of or pertaining to a beginning or first stage of a process.
关于过程的开始或初始阶段的。
关于入口或门槛的。；处于两种或多种状态之间的过渡状态,既不属于前者也不属于后者；既不明确属于某一特定状态或类别,也不明确处于其外。；关于过程的开始或初始阶段的。；阈限的；[医] 阀的
In use
The moment between sleeping and waking is a liminal state that many poets describe.
She felt she was in a liminal space, neither fully a student nor an adult.
Rituals often mark the liminal period between childhood and adulthood.
liminal + noun
liminal 常作定语，修饰阶段、空间、时期等名词。
The liminal stage of the ceremony lasted three days.
仪式的阈限阶段持续了三天。
be + liminal
liminal 作表语时，主语常为身份、状态等抽象名词。
Her status as a temporary worker was liminal.
她作为临时工的身份处于阈限状态。
be + liminal + between + X + and + Y
常与 between...and... 搭配，强调介于两个端点之间的临界性。
Connections
Collocations
- liminal space
- 阈限空间（过渡性的中间地带）
- For many travelers, the airport is a liminal space between home and abroad.对许多旅行者来说，机场是家与异乡之间的阈限空间。
- liminal state
- 阈限状态；过渡状态
- The ceremony marks the liminal state between childhood and adulthood.这一仪式标志着童年与成年之间的阈限状态。
- liminal phase
- 阈限阶段；过渡阶段
- Anthropologists study the liminal phase in rites of passage.人类学家研究通过仪式中的阈限阶段。
- liminal moment
- 过渡时刻
- We are living through a liminal moment in the country's history.我们正经历该国历史上的一个过渡时刻。
- liminal zone
- 临界地带；过渡区域
- The coastline is a liminal zone where land meets sea.海岸线是陆海相接的临界地带。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想 liminal 与 limit（界限）发音相近，想象自己站在门槛上，处于临界、阈限的状态。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：学术写作、心理学与人类学文献、文学批评 liminal 表示“阈限的、临界状态的”，多用于学术或正式语境，如心理学、人类学和文学批评；日常口语中比较少用。
Pronunciation & Spelling
发音相同：criminal (/ˈkrɪmɪnəl/) 和 subliminal (/ˌsʌbˈlɪmɪnəl/) 与 liminal (/ˈlɪmɪnəl/) 的重读元音及后续发音相同（/ɪmɪnəl/），可视为同韵。注意：final、seminal、terminal、marginal 拼写都以 -inal 结尾，但重读元音不同（/faɪ-, sɛ-, tɜːr-, mɑːr-/），因此只是形似，发音不押韵。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.