mean
v.（动词）meant[mμnt] mean.ing,means v.tr.（及物动词）
To be used to convey; denote:传达意思，表示：例句：.‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether youcan make words mean so many different things’. (Lewis Carroll).‘问题是’，艾丽斯说，‘是否你能够 使词汇具有那么多不同的意思’. (刘易斯·卡罗尔)
To act as a symbol of; signify or represent:意味，象征：作为象征而表现；代表，表示：例句：In this poem, the budding flower means youth.在这首诗中，含苞待放的花朵象征着青春
To intend to convey or indicate:含意，意味：例句：.No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.(Henry Adams).没有人说出的话全都是他的本意，而极少有人能把自己的本意全部说出来，因为文字的表达可以很含糊，而人的思想可以停滞.(亨利·亚当斯)
To have as a purpose or an intention; intend:意欲；打算：做为目的或意图而具有；计划：例句：I meant to go running this morning, but I overslept.我今天早晨本打算去跑步，但是我睡过头了
To design, intend, or destine for a certain purpose or end:图谋，企图：为特定的目的或结果设计、打算或预定：例句：a building that was meant for storage; a student who was meant to be a scientist.预定作仓库用的大楼；一名注定成为科学家的学生
To have as a consequence; bring about:造成：作为结果而具有；引起：例句：Friction means heat.摩擦起热
To have the importance or value of:具有重要性或价值：例句：The opinions of the critics meant nothing to him. She meant so much to me.对他来说，批评家们的意见没有任何意义。她对我来说那么重要
v.intr.（不及物动词）To have intentions of a specified kind; be disposed:有意做，打算：怀有特定用意；被处置：例句：She means well, despite her blunders.她用意是好的，尽管她因为无知犯了大错误
<习惯用语>mean business【非正式用语】
To be in earnest.急切，迫切来源：Middle English menen 中古英语 menen from Old English mônan [to tell of] * see mei-no- 源自 古英语 mônan [告诉] *参见 mei-no-
<参考词汇><同义词>mean,denote,import,signifyThe central meaning shared by these verbs is .to convey a particular idea.: 这些动词共有的中心意思是.解释某个特定的意思.： 例句：what does the word serendipity meanô 单词serendipity 是什么意思？
Pro- may denote .earlier. or .anterior.. Pro- 可能指.早些.或.在…之前.。例句：Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love;费城是个代表兄弟之爱的城市；
例句：that is what its name imports.那就是它的名字所含有的意义。
例句：A crown signifies royal power. 皇冠表示皇家权力
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mean 2
adj.（形容词）mean.er,mean.est
Selfish in a petty way; unkind.自私的，小气的；无情的Cruel, spiteful, or malicious.残酷的、可恶的或怀有恶意的Ignoble; base:卑鄙的：例句：a mean motive.卑鄙的动机
Miserly; stingy.自私的；吝啬的
Low in quality or grade; inferior.品质或等级低劣的；低级的Low in value or amount; paltry:价值或数量低的；微不足道的：例句：paid no mean amount for the new shoes.这双新鞋价格非常低
Common or poor in appearance; shabby:外表平常或贫穷的；简陋的：例句：.The rowhouses had been darkened by the rain and looked meaner and grimmer than ever.(Anne Tyler).一排排房屋被雨水浇湿，看上去比以前更加破旧阴暗了.(安妮·泰勒)
Low in social status; of humble origins.社会地位低下的；出身寒微的Humiliated or ashamed.惭愧的，羞愧的In poor physical condition; sick or debilitated.身体不好的；有病的，不舒服的Extremely unpleasant or disagreeable:恼人的，讨厌的：例句：The meanest storm in years.这些天来最讨厌的暴风雨
Informal Ill-tempered.【非正式用语】 脾气坏的Slang 【俚语】 Hard to cope with; difficult or troublesome:难对付的；困难的或麻烦的：例句：He throws a mean fast ball.他掷一个又快又难以应付的球
Excellent; skillful:出色的；熟练的：例句：She plays a mean game of bridge.她桥牌打得非常出色
来源：Middle English 中古英语 from Old English gemône [common] * see mei- 源自 古英语 gemône [普通的，平常的] *参见 mei-
【引伸】
mean.ly
adv.（副词）<参考词汇><同义词>mean,low,base,abject,ignoble,sordidThese adjectives mean lacking in the elevation or dignity or falling short of the standards befitting human beings.这些形容词都是有缺乏尊严或不符合人类的道德标准的含义。 Mean suggests pettiness;it may also connote traits such as spite or niggardliness: Mean 有心胸狭窄的含义，同时也指带有恶意或吝啬： 例句：.chok`d with ambition of the meaner sort. (Shakespeare). .被那种狭窄的野心憋得透不过气来. （莎士比亚）。
例句：.Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own. (J.M. Barrie).Somethinglow violates standards of morality, ethics, or propriety: .千万不要和比你自己的动机更恶毒的对手较量. (J.M.巴里）。Low 的人（或事）违背道德、伦理和礼貌的标准：
例句：low cunning;卑劣的狡诈；
例句：a low trick.卑劣的恶作剧。
Base suggests a contemptible, mean-spirited, or selfish lack of human decency: Base 指思想卑鄙，让人蔑视，缺乏人类的自尊： 例句：.that liberal obedience, without which your army would be a base rabble. (Edmund Burke)..那心甘情愿的服从；如果没有它，你们的军队将是一群卑鄙的乌合之众. （爱德蒙·伯克）。
Abject means brought low in condition; it often indicates starkness or hopelessness: Abject 多指因处于严酷、无望的状态下导致的卑鄙行为： 例句：abject submission;可鄙的屈服；
例句：abject poverty.可鄙的贫穷。
Ignoble means lacking those qualities, such as elevated moral character, that give human beings distinction of mind and soul: Ignoble 指缺乏那些使人类思想、心灵和精神高贵的品格，如很高的道德水准： 例句：.For my part I think it a less evil that some criminals should escape than that the government should play an ignoble part. (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.)..至于我，我认为一些罪犯的脱逃比政府扮演不光彩角色的罪行还要轻. （小奥立佛·文德尔·霍姆）。
Sordid suggests foul, repulsive degradation: Sordid 表示令人厌恶的卑鄙： 例句：.It is through art . . . that we can shield ourselves from the sordid perils of actual existence. (Oscar Wilde)..是艺术…使我们能够避开现实世界卑鄙、肮脏的危险. （奥斯卡·王尔德）
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mean 3
n.（名词）Something having a position, quality, or condition midway between extremes; a medium.中等：在位置、品质、条件上处于两极端中间的；中庸适度Mathematics 【数学】 A number that typifies a set of numbers, such as a geometric mean or an arithmetic mean.中数：代表一组数的一个数，如几何中数或算术中数The average value of a set of numbers.平均值Logic The middle term in a syllogism.【逻辑学】 三段论的中项means (used with a sing. or pl. verb)A method, a course of action, or an instrument by which an act can be accomplished or an end achieved. means （与单数或复数动词连用）方法，手段：用于完成一个行动或取得一个结果的方法、手段或工具means (used with a pl. verb) means （与复数动词连用）Money, property, or other wealth:金钱，财产或其他富：例句：You ought to live within your means.你应该量力为出
Great wealth:巨大财富：例句：a woman of means.富婆
adj.（形容词）Occupying a middle or intermediate position between two extremes.居中的，中间的；中庸的Intermediate in size, extent, quality, time, or degree; medium.中等的：在两极端之间占具中间位置的，居中的
<习惯用语>by all means
Without fail; certainly.当然；当然可以by any means
In any way possible; in any case:用尽各种可能的办法；无论如何：例句：not by any means an easy opponent.无论如何也不是一个容易的对手
by means of
With the use of; owing to:使用；由于：例句：They succeeded by means of patience and sacrifice.他们靠耐心和牺牲而取得了成功
by no means
In no sense; certainly not:并没有；绝不：例句：This remark by no means should be taken lightly.这次讲话绝不能等闲视之
来源：Middle English mene [middle] 中古英语 mene [中间] from Old French meien 源自 古法语 meien from Latin medi3nus 源自 拉丁语 medi3nus from medius * see medhyo- 源自 medius *参见 medhyo-
In the sense of .financial resources.means takes a plural verb: 在.经济来源.这个意义上，means 使用的是复数： 例句：His means are more than adequate. 他的财富绰绰有余。
In the sense of .a way to an end.means may be treated as either a singular or plural. It is singular when referring to a particular strategy or method: 从.方法、手段.的意义上讲，means 既可以是单数，也可以是复数。 如果指的是个别的方法或策略则是单数： 例句：The best means of securing the cooperation of the builders is to appeal to their self-interest. 保证建造者之间合作的最好办法就是满足他们的各自利益。
It is plural when it refers to a group of strategies or methods: 如果指的是一组方法或策略则是复数： 例句：The most effective means for dealing with the drug problem have generally been those suggested by the affected communities. · 对付毒品问题最有效的办法是那些受到毒品问题影响的社区所提供的。 ·
Means is most often followed by of : Means 后面常跟 of ： 例句：a means of noise reduction. 降低噪音的办法。
Butfor, to, and toward are also used: 但也跟for，to 和 toward ： 例句：a means for transmitting signals;传递信号的手段；
例句：a means to an end;达到某个目的的手段；
例句：a means toward achieving social equality. 为实现社会均等而采取的手段
