1CLEAR/EASY TO UNDERSTANDdifficult to understand or be sure about, so that there is doubt or confusion 难懂的;不肯定的;不清楚的
The terms of the contract are very unclear.
合同的条款非常含糊。
2be unclear about somethingCLEAR/EASY TO UNDERSTANDto not understand something clearly 对某事不清楚
I’m rather unclear about what I’m supposed to be doing here.
我不太明白我在这儿该做些什么。
Examples from the Corpus
be unclear about something• In those days we still were unclear about how the work would develop and whether we would move towards independence or not.• Most of the applicants I interview either do not know about it or are unclear about the details.• Many young people - I am in no way blaming them - are unclear about their personal plans.• If not, those involved will be unclear about what is expected and monitoring and control will be ineffective.• Most workerswere unclear about what their marginaltax rates were, and consequently did not have any very clearly calculatedresponse.
Examples from the Corpus
unclear• The causes of the disease are unclear.• For the moment, Forbes' political prospects are unclear.• The relationship between structure, process and outcome is very unclear.• There is no doubt that Cnut disposed of this threat, but where HolyRiverfits in is unclear.• It is unclear the extent to which the 12 need form a cohesive group.• But it is unclear whether such success has limits.
unclear ♦︎ uncertain ♦︎ unresolved ♦︎ in doubt ♦︎ indefinite ♦︎ in the balance ♦︎ undecidedThese words all describe sth that is not yet clear or decided.这些词均表示不确定的、不清楚的、未决定的。PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配◆It is unclear / uncertain what / whether...◆to remain unclear / uncertain / unresolved / in doubt / in the balance / undecided◆to leave sth unclear / uncertain / unresolved / in doubt / undecided◆still unclear / uncertain / unresolved / in doubt / in the balance / undecided■unclear ˌʌnˈklɪə(r); NAmEˌʌnˈklɪrnot clear or definite; difficult to understand or be sure about不清楚的;不确定的;难以掌握的◆His motives are unclear.他动机不明。◆Our plans are unclear at the moment.目前我们的计划还不确定。◆It is unclear whether there is any damage.有无损坏尚不清楚。◆Some of your diagrams are unclear.你的一些图表不够清楚。OPPclear ⇨ clearadj.12■uncertainnot definite or decided不确定的;未决定的◆It is uncertain what his role in the company will be.他在公司担任何职尚未决定。 see also uncertain ⇨ unsure, uncertainty ⇨ doubtnoun2■unresolvedˌʌnrɪˈzɒlvd; NAmEˌʌnrɪˈzɑːlvd (formal) (of a problem or question) not yet solved, answered or decided(问题或提问)未解决的,未解答的,悬而未决的◆These unresolved issues must be addressed.这些悬而未决的问题必须设法解决。■in ˈdoubt
idiom
(often used in negative statements常用于否定陈述) uncertain不确定;不肯定;拿不准◆The success of the system is not in doubt.这种制度的成功确定无疑。ⓘ In doubt is used especially to talk about the result, future, success or nature of sth. * in doubt尤用以描述事物的结果、未来、成败或性质。■indefiniteɪnˈdefɪnət lasting for a period of time that has no fixed end无限期的;期限不定的◆She will be away for the indefinite future.她将离开一段时间,期限不定。◆The workers have been on indefinite strike since July.工人从7月起就开始了无限期的罢工。▸indefinitely
adverb
◆The trial was postponed indefinitely.审讯无限期延迟。■in the ˈbalance
idiom
uncertain and waiting to be decided不确定;悬而未决◆The long-term future of the space programme hangs in the balance.航天计划的长远前景尚不明朗。◆His life hung in the balance for two weeks as he lay in a coma.他昏迷不醒的两个星期中一直处在生死边缘。ⓘ In the balance describes a situation in which the future of sb/sth, or the result of sth, is very uncertain for a time. It is often used when the future result is expected to be one of two very different things, such as success or failure, or life or death. * in the balance用于描述某人或某事的未来或某事的结果暂时很不确定,常用于表示未来预计会有两种完全不同的结果,如成功或失败,生或死。■undecided ˌʌndɪˈsaɪdɪd [not usually before noun] not having been decided yet未决定;悬而未决◆The venue for the World Cup remains undecided.世界杯的举办地点尚未确定。