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用 “prevailing” 和 “prevalent” 表达 “盛行的，普遍的”，有什么区别？

Episode 260624 / 24 Jun 2026

内容简介

明明听起来很相似，都能表达 “盛行的，普遍的” 这个含义，但为什么单词 “prevailing” 和 “prevalent” 的用法却不一样呢？其实，许多形容词之间的差别都非常小，但我们可以从它们的习惯搭配中看出不同的侧重点以及含义上的细微差别。听节目，跟主持人步理和 Georgie 一起辨析近义词 “prevailing” 和 “prevalent”。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。This is Question and Answer of the Week, where we answer your questions about English language, culture and life. I'm Buli and I'm here with Georgie. How are you?

Georgie
I'm very well, thank you, Buli. How are you?

Buli
I'm fine too, thanks. In this programme, we're looking at the difference between the words 'prevalent' and 'prevailing'. Shall we hear the question?

Georgie
Let's do it.

Question
您好，我一直是你们的忠实听众。这次来信是想咨询一个词汇单选题的答案。我对答案中的 “prevalent” 和 “prevailing” 比较犹豫困惑，我查了字典，这两个词都有 “dominant” 的含义，请问你们能帮我看看，是不是这个题目背后还有其它的原因？

Buli
这位听众提到的句子是这样的：“The _______ conclusion by scientists until recently had been that rising air temperatures were causing the Antarctic Peninsula to melt.（直到最近，科学家们得出的普遍结论都是不断升高的气温导致南极半岛融化。）”

Georgie
Well, this listener has good instincts because 'prevalent' wouldn't technically be ungrammatical in this sentence. Both 'prevalent' and 'prevailing' mean widespread and common, but there is a subtle difference in their uses which makes 'prevailing' the best option in this case.

Buli
Right. It's about collocations, or words that naturally go together in English. 正如 Georgie 所说，这两个单词的意思几乎完全一样，都可以是 “盛行的，普遍的”。所以，这两个词的用法区别主要在于它们含义之间的细微差别，以及各自的习惯搭配。

比如，“prevailing” 形容的主要是那些“在某个时期内十分流行、占主流地位的，或者为大众所广泛接受的观点、意见或理念”等抽象概念。所以，对于问题中的句子来说，要形容一个 “占主流地位的科学理论” 的话，我们就更应该用 “prevailing”。

Georgie
Yes, and we have another clue in that sentence which makes 'prevailing' the right choice, and that's the phrase 'until recently'. The conclusion was prevailing, or dominant, until recently, and now it isn't. Remember, 'prevailing' means popular or dominant at a particular time.

Buli
That's right. Now, let's compare 'prevailing' with the word 'prevalent'. Why isn't 'prevalent' the best fit, Georgie?

Georgie
Well, 'prevalent' means widespread or commonly occurring. Most often though, we use 'prevalent' to talk about conditions or problems. So, we could say that "stress is prevalent among students", or "during the winter, the common cold is prevalent".

Buli
OK. So, stress is common or widespread among students, as is the common cold during the winter. 和 “prevailing” 相比，“prevalent” 更着重强调一个事物 “在很广的范围内造成了影响，特别是负面影响”。比如，如果我们要形容 “common cold（普通感冒）” 或者 “stress（压力）” 这种会对人的身心造成影响的事物时，用 “prevalent” 往往更准确。

Georgie
So, it's true that an idea or conclusion could be prevalent among scientists, or it wouldn't be grammatically incorrect. But when writing these types of sentences, it's about finding the best fit for the context, which requires an in-depth, nuanced knowledge of these words.

Buli
你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “你问我答” 节目。在本期节目中，我们正在学习近义词 “prevailing” 和 “prevalent” 的区别。

从语法上来讲，这两个形容词的使用方式几乎完全一样，意思也相当接近。不过，想要用好它们以及其它类似的近义词，我们就需要掌握好这些近义词之间细微的含义区别以及和其它单词相搭配时的使用习惯。

Georgie
OK. Let's have a quiz to test our understanding of these words. Buli, which word – prevailing or prevalent – is likely to go with the word 'disease'?

Buli
I think… prevalent. For example, "the disease is prevalent in that region".

Georgie
Correct! And what about the word 'error'?

Buli
Ah… again, I think the answer is prevalent. For example, "this type of error is prevalent in these students' writing tasks".

Georgie
Well done, Buli. OK. Now, 'theory'.

Buli
Oh, that would be 'prevailing'. For example, "the prevailing theory at the time was later proven incorrect".

Georgie
That's right! Would you like to recap?

Buli
Sure. 本期节目中讲解的两个单词 “prevailing” 和 “prevalent” 都可以表示 “盛行的，普遍的” 这个含义。其中，“prevailing” 主要形容 “在特定时间内十分流行、占主流地位的，或者为大众所广泛接受的观点、意见或理念”；而 “prevalent” 则能强调出一个事物 “广泛存在，并且对其它事物造成了影响，特别是疾病、压力或不利的情况等负面影响”。

Georgie
Remember, if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Buli
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Georgie
Goodbye!

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