attain

attain 是正式用语，核心表示“经过努力达到或获得某个目标、水平、状态”，也可表示到达某个时间或地点。

💡 记忆钩子

把 attain 想成一路向上攀登并最终够到目标：可以“获得”目标或成就，也可以“到达”某个地点、时刻或状态。较旧的用法还可沿着这条线表示够到某人的位置、理解某个意思，或达到某种高度。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“通过努力获得目标或成就”和“达到某种水平、状态”这两个现代核心义，不要把它只理解成普通的“到达”。
attain 通常带有努力、进展和目标感；说普通的到某地时，往往优先考虑其他更日常的词。

📖 中文释义

verb

core 获得目标或结果

📖 经过努力、学习或持续行动，最终获得想要的目标或结果；重点是“够到并取得”目标。

💡 常用结构是“attain + 目标或结果”，如 attain a goal、attain success。它通常指经过过程后获得较重要的结果，语气正式；不要把它用于随手拿到一个普通物品。中文学习者还应注意它是及物动词，后面通常直接接目标，不要在目标前加表示地点的介词。

transitive

She worked for years to attain her goal of becoming a doctor.

她努力了多年，终于实现了当医生的目标。

With patience, the team attained the result it had hoped for.

凭着耐心，这个团队取得了它一直期待的结果。
core 达到或到达

📖 沿着某种进展或移动，最终到达一个地点、时间、阶段或状态；这里的“达到”不一定是获得一个东西。

💡 常用结构是“attain + 地点、时间、阶段或状态”，也可说 attain a certain age、attain a stage。该义项正式且偏书面，日常谈论到达地点时通常不用它。不要把 attain 后面再接表示方向的介词来表达同一个目标，直接接所达到的对象即可。

transitive

The spacecraft attained orbit after several difficult maneuvers.

飞船经过几次艰难的操作后进入了轨道。

By winter, the tree had attained a height of three meters.

到了冬天，这棵树已经长到了三米高。
common 努力到达

📖 表示通过移动、成长或身体和 mental 努力，终于抵达某处、某种状态或某个目标；这是强调“朝着目标前进并够到”的不及物用法。

💡 常见结构是“attain + 地点或状态”，但现代英语中这种不及物用法很少见，尤其不适合普通会话。它多见于旧式或高度书面的表达，学习时能看懂即可，不必主动大量使用。不要把它和现代最常见的及物用法混为一谈。

intransitive

After years of study, he finally attained to a deeper understanding of the subject.

经过多年的学习，他终于达到了对这门学科更深的理解。
rare 理解或弄清

📖 过时用法，表示努力“够到”某个意思或知识，也就是弄明白、理解。

💡 常见于旧式书面表达，通常接 meaning、knowledge 等对象，有时带旧式介词结构。现代英语中应使用 understand、grasp 等更自然的词；不要把这个义项当作 attain 的普通现代用法。

obsolete transitive
rare 达到某种卓越程度

📖 过时用法，表示在优秀程度、地位或成就上达到某个高度，仍然可以看作“攀登到某个水平”。

💡 这是过时的正式用法，常见于评价成就或品格的旧文体。现代英语通常会说 reach、achieve 或 match a high standard。不要把它理解成普通的“获得”某件物品。

obsolete transitive
rare 追上某人

📖 过时用法，表示追赶落后于自己的某人并最终追上他，仍然对应“够到前方目标”的画面。

💡 这是历史文献中的过时用法，常用于追逐或军事叙述，后面可直接接被追赶的人。现代英语应使用 catch、catch up with 或 overtake；不要在日常表达中用 attain 表示追上别人。

obsolete transitive

attains present,singular,third-person attaining participle,present attained participle,past attained past

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 4 组

reach a point in time, or a certain state or level;

同义词集: reach hit attain

The thermometer hit 100 degrees

This car can reach a speed of 140 miles per hour

上位: arrive, come, get

reach a destination, either real or abstract; ; ;

同义词集: reach make attain hit arrive at gain

We hit Detroit by noon

The water reached the doorstep

We barely made it to the finish line

I have to hit the MAC machine before the weekend starts

下位: access, breast, culminate, find, get at, ground, make, peak, run aground, scale, summit, surmount, top, top out

find unexpectedly; ;

同义词集: fall upon strike come upon light upon chance upon come across chance on happen upon attain discover

the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb

she struck a goldmine

The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake

上位: find, regain

to gain with effort

同义词集: achieve accomplish attain reach

she achieved her goal despite setbacks

上位: bring home the bacon, come through, deliver the goods, succeed, win 下位: average, begin, come to, compass, culminate, finagle, get to, make, manage, progress to, reach, score, strike, wangle

🌳 词源

源自中古英语，经过古法语和盎格鲁-诺曼语，最终来自拉丁语，核心一直与“够到、达到”有关。

The verb is derived from Middle English atteinen, atteynen (“to achieve, attain; to be adequate or sufficient; to affect; to come or get to (a place), reach; to corrupt, taint; to overcome, overpower; to overtake; to succeed; to tamper with; (law) to bring to justice, punish”), from ataign-, a stem of Anglo-Norman ataindre, and Old French ataindre, attaindre (“to reach”) (modern French atteindre), from Vulgar Latin *attangere, from Latin attingere, the present active infinitive of attingō (“to come into contact with, touch; to affect; to arrive at, reach; etc.”), from ad- (prefix indicating a nearing or reaching) (appearing as at- due to assimilation with the following t, inducing gemination) + tangō (“to grasp, touch; to arrive at, reach; to attain; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂g- (“to grasp; to touch”)). Doublet of attainder and attinge. The noun is derived from the verb.

🔄 变式

attained past attaining present attains present

🏷 单词标签 & 词根