常用词讲解（一）¶

1. literally¶

如果你经常和美国人交谈，你肯定会听到这个单词 literally，但 literally 到底是什么意思呢？你如果去查一个词典，他就会告诉你 literally 的意思是按字面意思来理解。Sometimes we do use it that way（有时候我们确实这样使用），比如说 he literally walked ten miles，那这个就是说 “他真的走了十个 miles”，不是夸张的。

But that's not the only way we use it。We also say things like

• it's literally a million degrees outside.
• I'm literally starving.
• This is literally the best day ever.

那这些句子显然就不是字面的意思。

比如说，I'm literally starving. Of course, you're not actually starving. You're just saying that you're very, very hungry. In spoken English, we often use literally as an intensifier. 也就是说，它的作用更像是在加强语气，让一句话听起来更夸张、更有情绪、更 drama 了。

所以那些句子里面的 literally 根据语境可以理解成 “真的、简直、完全” 怎么怎么样，这就是为什么我们学英语的时候不能只记一个中文意思。Because words change over time and the way that people use them in real life can become part of their new meaning.