Word · Frequency #14590
sparrows
麻雀
sparrows is the plural of sparrow.
a small, dull-colored songbird that feeds on seeds and insects
- 1.
The house sparrow, Passer domesticus; a small bird with a short bill, and brown, white and gray feathers.
家麻雀,一种喙短、羽色褐白灰相间的小鸟
- 2.
any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
几种小型暗色鸣禽,以种子或昆虫为食
- 3.
A member of the family Passeridae, comprising small Old World songbirds.
雀科鸟类,小型旧大陆鸣禽
- 4.
small brownish European songbird
小型褐色欧洲鸣禽
- 5.
A member of the family Passerellidae (or Emberizidae, under classification systems that subsume the New World sparrows under Emberizidae), comprising small New World songbirds.
雀鹀科鸟类,小型新大陆鸣禽
- 6.
Generically, any small, nondescript bird.
泛指任何小型、不起眼的鸟
家麻雀,一种喙短、羽色褐白灰相间的小鸟；几种小型暗色鸣禽,以种子或昆虫为食；雀科鸟类,小型旧大陆鸣禽；小型褐色欧洲鸣禽；雀鹀科鸟类,小型新大陆鸣禽
In use
A sparrow landed on the windowsill and looked for crumbs.
We saw a group of sparrows singing in the hedge this morning.
The sparrow built its nest under the roof of our shed.
the + singular noun (generic reference)
定冠词the加单数名词可表示整个种类，而不仅是某一只。
The sparrow is a common small bird.
麻雀是一种常见的小鸟。
a + singular noun (indefinite individual)
不定冠词a表示任意一只麻雀，常译作'一只'。
A sparrow was hopping around the garden.
一只麻雀在花园里跳来跳去。
plural noun (general statement)
复数形式sparrows不加冠词，用于泛指麻雀这类鸟。注意复数的拼写变化。
Connections
Collocations
- house sparrow
- 家麻雀
- A house sparrow often nests under the eaves.家麻雀经常在屋檐下筑巢。
- tree sparrow
- 树麻雀
- A tree sparrow was hopping on the ground.一只树麻雀在地上跳来跳去。
- a flock of sparrows
- 一群麻雀
- A flock of sparrows gathered in the park.一群麻雀聚集在公园里。
- sparrows chirping
- 麻雀叽叽喳喳叫
- The garden is full of sparrows chirping in the morning.早晨花园里满是叽叽喳喳叫的麻雀。
- sparrow population
- 麻雀种群
- The sparrow population has declined in cities.城市中的麻雀种群数量已经下降。
Idioms & figurative uses
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想：麻雀常在电线上一排（row）站着，像在说‘spare（省着吃）’——sparrow 就是麻雀。
Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常对话、观鸟活动 sparrow 是常用词，通常在中性语境中使用，日常谈论鸟类或自然时比较多见；没有明显的正式或非正式限制。
Pronunciation & Spelling
These -arrow words look like sparrow but have /æ/ instead of /ɛ/, and tomorrow has /ɑː/; none rhymes with /ˈspɛroʊ/.
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.