mean 用法

一、主要考点

Ø  mean doing 意味着

Ø  mean to do 打算做

Ø  had meant to do / meant to have done / meant to do 本打算做（但实际未做）

Ø  mean + that-clause  意思是

Ø  meant sb. to do … 打算让某人做……

Ø  be meant for …（计划）是要给……的、打算做……的

 

二、释义 mean (meant, meant)

vt. 意思是；表示；预示  mean + n. / 从句

  The phrase means “grow up” in English.

What does he mean?

What do you mean by saying that?

What does this word mean? 这个字是什么意思?
　　This is what is meant by “failure is the mother of success”. “失败是成功之母”就是这个意思。
　　You mean it can be cured? 你的意思是能治好？

The sign means that the road is blocked. 这个标志表示此路不通。

He seemed not to have grasped what she really meant.

What do you mean by doing … 你……是什么意思？

Whom do you mean by “they”? 你说“他们”，指的是谁？
　　I mean the red one, not the green one. 我说的是那个红的，不是那个绿的。

This snow means no sport this afternoon. 这场雪使今天下午的体育活动搞不成了。 使有可能，预示

Anybody could see that he meant no harm. 谁都看得出他没有恶意。

What do you mean by laughing like that?

= What does your laughing like that mean?

= What’s the meaning of your laughing like that?

注：当要解释词义时，其后可接不定式。

　  其后面的单词形式常与被解释的单词形式保持一致。如解释一个动词时，后接动词不定式；解释一个动名词，后接动名词形式。

　　“Quake” means “to shake”. “Quake”的意思是“震动”。

“Gaze” means to keep one’s eyes turned in a particular direction for a long time.

gaze的意思是使视线长时间对着某方向。

Having good table manners means knowing, for example, how to use knives and forks, when to drink a toast and how to behave at the table. 餐桌上，懂礼貌意味着了解诸如如何使用刀叉，该何时祝酒，如何体面用餐等。

注意与mean to do （打算做……）的区别。

注：mean, imply, indicate, repent, denote, signify, suggest 

这些动词均含有“表示……的意思”之意。

mean → 最普通用词。指文字或符号等所表示的各种明确的或含蓄的意义。

imply → 侧重用文字或符号表示的联想，暗示。

indicate → 指明显的表示。

represent → 指体现或代表。

denote → 指某一词字面或狭义的意思，或指某些符号或迹象的特指含义。

signify → 指用文字、说话或表情等表示单纯的意思。

suggest → 通常指暗含地、隐晦地表达意思

vt. 意味着 mean doing / that … (主语通常是物)

I won’t wait if it means delaying more than 2 days.

Sunlight means we can see something during the day.

Being a student means studying hard. 作为一个学生,(意味着)你要努力学习。

　　Success means working hard. 成功意味着工作努力。

　  To raise wage means increasing purchasing power.

Missing this train means waiting for another hour.

This illness will mean going to hospital. 得了这种病就意味着要住院。

He is determined to get a seat even if it means standing in a queue all night. 

即使要整夜排队，他也决心要买到票。

If we mean to catch the early bus, that means getting up before five. 

要想赶早班车，我们就得在5点钟以前起床。

This discovery means that we will spend less on food. 这一发现意味着我们将减少在食品上的花费。

That meant, of course, he could not work without that machine. 当然，没有了那台机器，也就是意味着他没去工作。

A dictionary tells you what words mean.词典告诉你词语的含义。

This word means nothing.这个词没有意义。

Do you know what I mean?你懂我的意思了吗？

Silence means consent. 沉默就是同意。
　　To persevere means victory！坚持就是胜利。
　　To take it apart now would mean wasting a lot of labour. 现在把它拆卸开，就意味着浪费大量的劳动力。
　　Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命意味着解放生产力。
　　This mean we have to wait another week or so.（接从句）这就意味着我们还得等一个星期左右。
　　注：作为“意味着”含义，可以跟复合结构。

This also meant many smaller ditches to be dug and more fields to be leveled.

这意味着要挖许多小水渠和平整更多土地。

vt. 打算；意欲 mean to do 主语通常是人 / be meant for …    

meant to do 打算做…… （指现在或将来）

He means to succeed.

I mean to praise these students.

I mean to get to the top by sunrise. 我打算在日出时到达山顶。

What does he mean to do?他想干什么？

Sorry, we are late. But we had meant to be early. 对不起，我们迟到了，但是我们本来是想早来的。

Do forgive me—I didn’t mean to interrupt. 真对不起——我不是有意打扰你。

He did not mean to hurt you. 他不是有意要伤害你。

I don’t mean to say we are perfect. 我不是说我们已经十全十美了。
　　He has always meant to get it repaired.  他一直是想请人修一修的。　

had meant to do / meant to have done / meant to do 本打算做（而实际未做）（指过去）

He meant to have done his homework before dark.

= He had meant to do his homework before dark.

= He meant to do his homework before dark. （美）

What do you meant to do with it? How do you meant to deal with it?

I meant do help you. But I was very busy at that time.

I meant to tell you yesterday, but you were not in your office.

I had meant to come, but something happened.

I meant to phone you, but I forgot.

I meant to call on you. But I was too busy.

Crusoe meant to build / meant to have built / had meant do build a boat, but he failed.

He had meant to leave on Sunday, but has stayed on. 他本来想星期天走的，但又留了下来。

I mean to go, but my father would not allow me to.

I meant to give you this book today, but I forgot. 

don't mean to do sth. 是其否定式，通常表示“无意做某事”。

　　John really upset Granny, but I'm sure he did not mean to. 约翰真让奶奶心烦, 不过我相信他是无意的。

此用法常用动词：meant / intend / plan / hope / think …

be meant for … 打算做……用的

Its streets were never meant for heavy traffic.

　　What is this meant for? 这准备作什么用?

These rooms are meant for the children's centre. 这些房间是打算用作少年活动中心的。

    Is this picture meant for me? 这张画儿是打算给我的吗？

  mean sb. to do …

    I mean you to spend this money for your daughter. 我是想让你用这笔款为你女儿买些东西的。

  I thought you meant me to come with you.（接不定式的复合结构）我还意为你打算让我跟你一道去呢。

vt. 预定

I meant it for you.

I meant this photo for my mother.我准备把这张照片送给我的妈妈。

He was meant to be a doctor. 他是培养成为医生的对象。

 

三、句型

1. What do / did you mean by...? 你……是什么意思?

　　What do you mean by acting like this? 你这样做是什么意思?

  2. What is … meant for? ……是打算做……的？

What is this meant for? 这准备作什么用?

3. What do you mean to do with it?

  How do you mean to deal with it? 你打算怎么处理它？

4. He doesn’t mean what he says. 他言不由衷。

5. … had meant to do … 本打算做……（但实际未做）

  I had meant to build a boat, but I failed.

  = I meant to have built a boat, but I failed.

  = I meant to build a boat, but I failed.

    We had meant to be early, but we got up too late. 我们本来想早点来的，但起床起迟了。

I (had) meant to come, but something happened. 我本想来，但有事就没有来。

I meant to have told you about it yesterday.= I had meant to tell you about it yesterday. 

　6.  … mean sb. to do  … 打算让某人做某事

　　I mean you to work as our spokesman. 我想请你当我们的代言人。

　　Do you really mean him to believe that your plan was right? 你真打算让他相信你的计划是对的吗?

  7.  … mean to do … 打算做……

What do you mean to do with it? 你打算把它怎样处理?

We mean to call on you tomorrow. 我们打算明天看望你。

　8. I mean

　　I mean 的意思是“就是说；我是说”的意思，常用来更正或补充前面所说的话。

　　She is smart - I mean, she knows exactly what I think. 她很聪明——我的意思是说，她完全知道我的想法。

Well, eh yes, I mean no. I mean, I found the bathroom, but I didn't find what I was looking for!

嗯，呃，是呀，我的意思是没有。我是说我找到了浴室，但我没找到我在找的东西！

 

四、练习

1. In some parts of London, missing a bus means ______ for another hour. 

A. waiting   B. to wait   C. wait   D. to be waiting

2. ______ into use in April, 2000, the hotline was meant for residents reporting water and heating supply breakdowns.

　A. Put   B. Putting    C. Having put   D. Being put    

3. That would mean ____ a lot of labour.    --- Really? I don’t mean ____ any labour.

   A. wasting, to waste     B. wasting, wasting

   C. to waste, wasting     D. to waste, to waste

4. A rest today means _____ extra work tomorrow.  A. to do  B. do  C. doing  D. done

5. “A q______” means the same as “fifteen minutes.

6. What do you mean by ______ (say) so?

7. What do you mean by ______ (do) that?

 

注：mean 还可作不及物动词和形容词

vi. 用意

He means well towards me. 他对我怀着好意。

“I meant well,” he said. 他说，“我是好意。”

They probably meant well. 他们或许用心是好的。

vi. 具有意义

表示“有意义”“有价值”，通常与 much, little, a lot, a great deal, nothing, everything, anything 等词连用。

Money means nothing to me. 钱对我来说是无所谓的。

You don’t know how much you mean to me. 你不知道我多么喜欢你。

  adj. 吝啬的，自私的

She is mean and never invites people to meals.她很小气，从不请人吃饭。

Her husband is very mean about money. 她的丈夫在金钱上很吝啬。

adj. 坏心眼儿的，不友好的

It was mean of you to tease the little boy.你戏弄那个小男孩，你真坏。

adj. 卑鄙的；卑贱的；鄙陋的

It is a mean motive.这是卑鄙的动机。

That was a mean trick! 那是一个卑劣的诡计!

     The young couple made their home in a mean dwelling. 这对年轻夫妇在一个简陋的住处安了家。

注：low, mean, cheap, shabby  这些形容词均有“卑鄙的，卑贱的，卑下的”之意。

low → 指行为卑鄙、可耻、下文明，可引申指庸俗。

mean → 暗示狠毒、贪婪、缺乏尊严感等为人们所不耻的卑鄙、自私、渺小的行为。

cheap → 侧旨人或物的品质低劣下贱。

shabby → 指行为的不公和卑劣而使人感到不屑和轻蔑。

adj. 低劣的,平庸的
It was no mean feat to get him to agree. 要他同意绝非易事。

adj. 【美】【俚】出色的,很棒的
He played a mean game of chess yesterday.