Word · Frequency #34
would
潜在可能性；可能之事
A potentiality; something that might happen or be the case under different circumstances.
- 1.
Something that would happen, or would be the case, under different circumstances; a potentiality.
在不同情况下会发生或可能成为现实的事物；潜在可能性。
在不同情况下会发生或可能成为现实的事物；潜在可能性。
In use
Stop worrying about all the woulds and start doing something you can control.
Her argument depends on too many woulds without any real evidence.
The whole plan is based on a single would: what if the market improves next year?
a [modifier] would
这里 would 是名词，表示在另一种条件下可能发生的事，可与修饰语连用。
A hypothetical would is not an actual event.
假设中的潜在可能并不是实际发生的事件。
the would(s) of [something]
复数形式 woulds 指多种潜在可能；后接 of 说明这些可能属于哪种情况。
The woulds of a different choice are unknowable.
不同选择下的种种可能无法预知。
Connections
Collocations
- ifs and woulds
- 各种假设和可能性
- Please stop discussing ifs and woulds and tell me what you will actually do.请不要再讨论各种假设和可能性，告诉我你实际会怎么做。
Idioms & figurative uses
- would rather
- 宁愿；宁可I would rather stay in tonight than go to the party.我今晚宁愿待在家里，也不想去参加聚会。
- would not dream of
- 决不会考虑；无论如何也不会She would not dream of telling a lie.她无论如何也不会说谎。
- that would be telling
- 那可不能说；我可不告诉你So who's the surprise guest? That would be telling.那么惊喜嘉宾是谁？那可不能说。
Pop culture & quotes
- "I would prefer not to."
- “我宁愿不这样做。”In Herman Melville's story, Bartleby repeats the line "I would prefer not to" whenever his employer asks him to do something.
Learner notes
Memory Tip
把常见的 would 反过来想：它作名词时，就是“换了条件就会成真的可能”，像 what would be 变成一件“将会怎样的事”。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：哲学或理论探讨、文学评论、正式写作 作名词时非常少见，属于书面或文学性用法，通常表示某种假设情况下的可能性。日常口语中几乎不用，正式语体中比较常见于抽象讨论。
Grammar Note
作名词时通常用于哲学或理论讨论，指尚未实现的可能性。
Pronunciation & Spelling
would 的发音是 /wʊd/。拼写 -ould 的 could /kʊd/、should /ʃʊd/ 以及拼写 -ood 的 wood /wʊd/、good /ɡʊd/、hood /hʊd/、stood /stʊd/ 都与它押韵。注意：mould（英式拼写）读作 /moʊld/，虽然拼写相近，但不与 would 押韵；would 在本词条中是名词，意思是“潜在可能性”。
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 5，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Dictionary facts from AI_FALLBACK, BRIDGEDICT_CURATED_MODAL, CEFR_J.