| 释义 |
whittle | BrE ˈwɪt(ə)l, AmE ˈ(h)wɪdl | transitive verb ① (cut) 削 xiāo ‹piece of wood, stick›② (create) 削成 xiāochéng ‹peg, walking stick›PHRASAL VERBS whittle away A. transitive verb [whittle sth away, whittle away sth] ① (reduce by whittling) 削短 xiāoduǎn ‹piece of wood, stick›② figurative (diminish) 削减 xuējiǎn ‹finances, savings›; 削弱 xuēruò ‹confidence›B. intransitive verb ① (keep whittling) 不断地削 bùduàn de xiāo ▸ to whittle away at; 不停地削 ‹piece of wood, stick›② figurative (keep reducing) 不断削减 bùduàn xuējiǎn ▸ to whittle away at sth; 持续减少 ‹savings› 持续削弱 chíxù xuēruò ‹confidence›whittle down transitive verb [whittle sth down, whittle down sth] ① = whittle away A② figurative (reduce in number) 减少 jiǎnshǎo ‹applicants, number›▸ to whittle the number of candidates down to three 将候选人数减少到三个 |