enlighten

Definitions

en- (to put into) + light + -en (make) = 'put light into.' But the light is mental: knowledge is light, ignorance is darkness. To enlighten someone is to shine understanding into their mind and chase the darkness out.

Why It Means This

The metaphor 'knowledge = light' is ancient and runs through many cultures. enlighten makes it literal in grammar: you physically 'light up' someone's mind. The same image powers Enlightenment, the 18th-century age that pictured reason as light flooding a dark world.

Common Collocations

• 1.enlighten someone about就……启发某人
• 2.care to enlighten me麻烦给我讲讲
• 3.enlighten the public启迪公众

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Could you enlighten me on how this machine actually works?

• 2.

  The documentary enlightened viewers about life in the deep sea.

• 3.

  A good teacher does more than inform; she enlightens.