CHILDREN 儿童, [I,T] when children play, they do things that they enjoy, often with other people or with toys

玩，玩耍:

Kids were playing and chasing each other.

孩子们互相追逐嬉闹。

Outside, the children were playing cowboys and Indians.

孩子们在外面玩牛仔和印第安人的游戏。

Did you like to play with dolls when you were little?

你小时候喜不喜欢玩娃娃？

Parents need to spend time just playing with their children.

父母应该花时间和自己的孩子玩耍。

SPORTS / GAMES 体育运动/比赛

MUSIC 音乐, [I,T] to perform a piece of music on a musical instrument

演奏，弹奏:

He's learning to play the piano.

他在学习弹钢琴。

She played a Bach prelude.

她演奏了一首巴赫的前奏曲。

Haden has played with many jazz greats.

黑登和许多著名的爵士乐手合作过。

A small orchestra was playing.

一支小型管弦乐队在演奏。

RADIO / CD ETC 广播/唱片等, [I,T] if a radio, CD etc plays, or if you play it, it produces sound, especially music

播放:

The bedside radio played softly.

床边的收音机播放着轻柔的乐曲。

DJs playing the latest house and techno tracks

播放着最新豪斯音乐和泰克诺音乐的音乐节目主持人们

THEATRE / FILM 剧院/电影

play a part / role, to have an effect or influence on something

〔在某事中〕起作用，有影响:

A good diet and fitness play a large part in helping people live longer.

合理的饮食和良好的健康在延长人们寿命这方面起到重要作用。

play ball

PRETEND 假装, [linking verb] to behave as if you are a particular kind of person or have a particular feeling or quality, even though it is not true

假装，装扮:

the accusation that scientists are playing God

对科学家冒充上帝的指责

Some snakes fool predators by playing dead .

有些蛇会以装死来蒙骗猎食者。

'What do you mean?' 'Don't play dumb .' (=pretend you do not know something)

“你什么意思？”“别装糊涂了。”

Susan felt she had to play the good wife.

苏珊觉得自己必须装成好妻子。

He played the fool (=behaved in a silly way) at school instead of working.

他在学校总干蠢事而不学习。

BEHAVE 表现, [T always + adv / prep] to behave in a particular way in a situation, in order to achieve the result or effect that you want

〔以某种方式〕表现，行〔事〕:

How do you want to play this meeting?

你想怎么开这次会议？

Play it safe (=avoid risks) and make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked.

保险一点，一定要把这些蛋煮透。

If you like him, play it cool, or you might scare him off.

你就是喜欢他，也需要慢慢来，否则可能会把他吓跑。

play games, to hide your real feelings or wishes in order to achieve something in a clever or secret way – used to show disapproval

耍花招，耍手段〔含贬义〕:

Stop playing games, Luke, and tell me what you want.

别耍花招了，卢克，告诉我你想要什么。

play sth by ear

play a joke / trick / prank on sb, to do something to someone as a joke or trick

跟某人开玩笑，捉弄某人

play the game

play the race / nationalist / environmentalist etc card, to use a particular subject in politics in order to gain an advantage

打种族/民族主义/环保主义等的牌〔指使用某个政治话题来赢得优势〕:

a leader who is skillfully playing the nationalist card to keep power

老练地打出民族主义的牌以保持权力的一位领导

play your cards right, to say or do things in a situation in such a way that you gain as much as possible from it

做事精明，处理得当:

Who knows? If you play your cards right , maybe he'll marry you.

谁知道呢？如果你精明些，说不定他会娶你呢。

play your cards close to your chest, to keep secret what you are doing in a situation

对自己的行为秘而不宣

play into sb's hands, to do what someone you are competing with wants you to do, without realizing it

〔因做对手所希望的事〕正中对手下怀:

If we respond with violence, we'll be playing into their hands, giving them an excuse for a fight.

如果我们以暴力回应，就正中他们下怀，给了他们挑起争斗的借口。

play for time, to try to delay something so that you have more time to prepare for it or prevent it from happening

为争取时间而拖延:

The rebels may be playing for time while they try to get more weapons.

叛乱分子可能在拖延时间，想搞到更多的武器。

play tricks (on you), if your mind, memory, sight etc plays tricks on you, you feel confused and not sure about what is happening

〔思维、记忆、视力等〕使（某人）产生错觉，使混乱:

It happened a long time ago, and my memory might be playing tricks on me.

那是很久以前的事了，我记不清了。

play the market, to risk money on the STOCK MARKET as a way of trying to earn more money

〔在证券市场〕买卖证券

play the system, to use the rules of a system in a clever way, to gain advantage for yourself

钻制度的空子〔使自己得益〕:

Accountants know how to play the tax system.

会计师知道如何钻税收制度的空子。

play second fiddle (to sb), to be in a lower position or rank than someone else

（给某人）当第二把手（副手），居次要地位

play hard to get, to pretend that you are not sexually interested in someone so that they will become more interested in you

〔对异性〕欲擒故纵〔故意装出对某人不感兴趣的样子以吸引对方〕

SMILE 笑容, [I always + adv / prep] [written] if a smile plays about someone's lips, they smile slightly

〔微笑〕浅浅地浮现

play hooky, [AmE] ; play truant [BrE] to stay away from school without permission

逃学，旷课

play with fire, to do something that could have a very dangerous or harmful result

做危险的事，玩火:

Dating the boss's daughter is playing with fire.

和老板的女儿约会是在玩火。

LIGHT 光线, [I always + adv / prep] [written] if light plays on something, it shines on it and moves on it

〔在…上〕闪烁，掠过:

the sunlight playing on the water

在水面闪烁的阳光

WATER 水, [I] [written] if a FOUNTAIN plays, water comes from it

〔喷泉〕喷水

play the field, to have sexual relationships with a lot of different people

乱搞男女关系，滥交

play fast and loose with sth, to not be careful about what you do, especially by not obeying the law or a rule

不负责任地利用某物〔尤指不遵守法律或法规〕:

They played fast and loose with investors' money.

他们滥用投资者的资金。

play a hose / light on sth, to point a HOSE or light towards something so that water or light goes onto it

把水龙头对着某物喷射/将光线对着某物照射

THEATRE 剧院, [C] a story that is written to be performed by actors, especially in a theatre

剧本; 戏剧:

a play by Chekhov

一出契诃夫的戏剧

Eliot wrote plays as well as poetry.

艾略特除了写诗还写剧本。

Edward Bond's play about class war

爱德华·邦德关于阶级斗争的戏剧

The children put on a play adapted from a Russian folk tale.

孩子们演出了一场由俄罗斯民间故事改编的戏剧。

AMUSEMENT 娱乐, [U] things that people, especially children, do for amusement rather than as work

〔尤指儿童的〕游戏，玩耍; 娱乐:

Play is very important to a child's development.

游戏对孩子的成长十分重要。

a play area

游戏区

The program aims to teach road safety through play.

这个节目旨在通过游戏讲解道路安全。

the happy shouts of children at play

孩子玩耍时快乐的叫嚷声

EFFECT 效果, [U] the effect or influence of something

影响; 作用:

the free play of competition in the building industry

建筑业竞争的自由调节作用

There are a number of factors at play

(=having an effect) in the current recession.