discern
释义
To perceive or make something out, especially with difficulty
看清，辨认出（常指费力地）
To recognize or distinguish one thing from another
辨别，区分
词根拆分
词根派生dis-（分开）+ cern（筛分、分离）= 用眼睛或头脑把事物筛开。罗马人分拣谷粒和糠秕的筛子，变成了头脑里"分辨"的动作：在黑暗中 discern 一个轮廓，或把好论点和坏论点 discern 开来。
词根 cern 还连着 28 个词使用指南
偏正式、略书面。日常口语更常说 make out（看清）或 tell apart（区分）：I could just make out his face 比 discern 自然。书面中常见：discern a pattern、discern between X and Y。
例句
- 1.
It was too dark to discern anything more than vague shapes.
天太黑了，除了模糊的轮廓什么都看不清。
- 2.
A good editor can quickly discern a strong argument from a weak one.
好的编辑能迅速分辨出有力的论点和站不住脚的论点。
- 3.
Investors struggled to discern any clear pattern in the data.
投资者很难从数据中辨认出任何清晰的规律。
- 4.
She could discern a faint note of sarcasm in his voice.
她能察觉到他语气里一丝淡淡的讽刺。
易混词辨析
discern 与 distinguish —— 都表示"分辨"，但 discern 偏向"察觉"隐约、隐藏之物（discern a shape in fog），distinguish 偏向在已知事物间"标明明确差异"（distinguish 真假）。勉强能看见 → discern；对比两样清楚的东西 → distinguish。