serendipity
含义: The occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way; the faculty of making fortunate discoveries accidentally.
Serendipity is one of English's most beloved words, frequently appearing in lists of untranslatable terms. It describes not just luck but a particular kind of luck — the accidental discovery of something valuable while looking for something else entirely. The word is common in science writing, where many breakthroughs (penicillin, X-rays, the microwave oven) are attributed to serendipity. It also appears in personal essays, travel writing, and cultural commentary. The adjective 'serendipitous' is widely used, and the word collocates with 'happy,' 'pure,' 'fortunate,' and 'scientific.'
例句
- The discovery of the Roman mosaic beneath the car park was a remarkable piece of archaeological serendipity. 在停车场下方发现古罗马马赛克是一次非凡的考古偶然发现。El descubrimiento del mosaico romano bajo el aparcamiento fue un notable ejemplo de serendipia arqueológica.駐車場の地下からローマ時代のモザイクが発見されたのは、考古学における驚くべき偶然の幸運だった。주차장 지하에서 로마 시대 모자이크가 발견된 것은 놀라운 고고학적 우연의 행운이었다.
- She attributed much of her career success to serendipity — a chance encounter at a conference had led to her most important collaboration. 她将事业上的大部分成功归功于机缘巧合——一次会议上的偶遇促成了她最重要的合作。Atribuyó gran parte de su éxito profesional a la serendipia: un encuentro fortuito en un congreso había dado lugar a su colaboración más importante.彼女はキャリアの成功の多くを偶然の巡り合わせによるものだとした——学会での偶然の出会いが最も重要な共同研究につながったのだ。그녀는 경력의 성공 대부분을 우연한 행운 덕분이라고 했다 — 학회에서의 우연한 만남이 가장 중요한 공동 연구로 이어졌기 때문이다.
- Fleming's discovery of penicillin is perhaps the most celebrated example of serendipity in the history of science. 弗莱明发现青霉素或许是科学史上最著名的偶然发现。El descubrimiento de la penicilina por Fleming es quizá el ejemplo más célebre de serendipia en la historia de la ciencia.フレミングによるペニシリンの発見は、科学史上最も有名なセレンディピティの例と言えるでしょう。플레밍의 페니실린 발견은 아마도 과학사에서 가장 유명한 세렌디피티의 사례일 것입니다.
发音
用法指南
语境: general, academic, literary
语气: neutral
起源与历史
Coined by Horace Walpole in 1754, inspired by the Persian fairy tale 'The Three Princes of Serendip' (an old name for Sri Lanka), whose heroes made discoveries by accident and sagacity.
文化背景
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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