| 释义 |
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› |