音标:英 [ˈbɜːnɪŋ aʊt],美 [ˈbɜːrnɪŋ aʊt]
字面意义:指燃烧至熄灭、烧尽,或因过热导致物体损坏。
例:The fire is burning out of control.(火势失控,持续燃烧。)
例:The engine burned out after long hours of operation.(发动机因长时间运转而烧坏。)
引申意义:
职业倦怠:慢性工作压力导致的身心耗竭状态,表现为精神疲惫、效率下降。
例:Taking regular breaks helps prevent burning out.(定期休息有助于避免职业倦怠。)
毒瘾消退:吸毒者因长期使用导致药物效果减弱或自愿戒毒的现象。
例:He reached an age when drugs no longer worked, experiencing a burning out.(他到了吸毒不再产生快感的年纪,毒瘾逐渐消退。)
动词短语:作为不及物动词短语,主语通常为“火、设备、人”等。
例:Fires were burning out of control in the city center.(市中心的大火失控燃烧。)
例:Microcomputer adjusts power to prevent burning out the heater.(微电脑调节功率以防止加热器烧毁。)
名词化表达:可转换为 burnout(名词),指“燃尽;倦怠”。
例:Chronic stress leads to burnout.(长期压力导致倦怠。)
火势与燃烧
California firefighters battled a wildfire burning out of control.(加州消防员对抗一场失控的野火。)
The damper was left overnight to prevent the fire from burning out.(挡板整夜未关以防炉火熄灭。)
设备损坏
The oil pressure being too low caused the engine burning out.(机油压力过低导致发动机烧毁。)
A burned-out fuse needs to be replaced immediately.(烧坏的保险丝需立即更换。)
职业与身心状态
Regular exercise helps avoid burning out during intense work.(规律运动有助于避免高强度工作中的倦怠。)
He described spending time in Hawaii to prevent burning out.(他提到在夏威夷度假以避免 burnout。)
特殊语境
In drug users, burning out may occur when substances lose effectiveness.(吸毒者中,当药物失效时可能出现毒瘾消退。)
易混淆短语:
burn down(烧毁建筑物) vs. burn out(内部烧尽/设备损坏)。
例:The house burned down, but the safe inside burned out.(房屋被烧毁,但内部保险箱烧空了。)
burning out 从字面“燃烧殆尽”延伸至“身心耗竭”,是描述物理现象与心理状态的多场景词汇。无论是描述失控的野火、损坏的机械,还是现代人面临的职业压力,都需根据语境判断其具体含义。在科技与职场语境中,“防止 burnout”已成为重要的健康议题。