The word play is a commonly used word. As a noun, it means a production or a live show.
單詞play是一個常用詞。作為一個名詞，它意味著一個作品或一個現(xiàn)場表演。

As a verb, it usually means to do something related to sports and games. It can also be used to describe playing instruments. However, there are also several other situations in which English speakers use the word play. Here are some collocations with it!
作為動詞，它通常意味著做一些與體育和游戲有關(guān)的事情。它也可以用來描述演奏樂器。然而，也有其他幾種情況下，英語使用者們會使用單詞play。這里有一些搭配！

In case you do not know, collocations are phrases of words that are more commonly used than you might expect. They often have a specific meaning when the words are used together.
以防你不知道，搭配是比你想象的更常用的詞語短語。當和單詞一起使用時，它們通常有特定的含義。

Expressions, phrases and idioms with Play
游戲中的表達、短語和習(xí)語

1. To play a role (in)
1.發(fā)揮作用，扮演角色

One of the most common uses of play is the phrase to play a role. This means that a person, thing, company, event, etc. had a part in something.
play最常用的用法之一是扮演角色。這意味著一個人、一件事、一個公司、一件事等在某件事中占有一席之地。

In this phrase, the word role can be preceded by words that show how important this role was to whatever is being described. Common adjectives include important, major, key, crucial, significant, large, and vital.
在這個短語中，“play”一詞的前面可以是表示這個角色對所描述的內(nèi)容有多重要的詞。常用形容詞包括重要的、主要的、關(guān)鍵的、關(guān)鍵的、重要的、大的和重要的。

All of these adjectives mean that the role played was very important – perhaps meaning that the result could not have been possible without the thing.
所有這些形容詞都意味著所扮演的角色非常重要——也許意味著沒有這件事，結(jié)果就不可能實現(xiàn)。

Examples
例子

Deciding to travel instead of going straight to college after high school played a major role in my life.
高中畢業(yè)后決定去旅行而不是直接去上大學(xué)，這在我的生活中起了很大的作用。

You might not think it if you don’t know how it works, but the secretary of the office actually plays a vital role in making almost all the decisions at this company.
如果你不知道它是如何運作的，你可能不會這樣想，但是辦公室秘書實際上在公司的幾乎所有決策中扮演著至關(guān)重要的角色。

Ronald played a key role in helping the team win today.
羅納德在幫助球隊贏得今天的比賽中發(fā)揮了關(guān)鍵作用。

2. To play a part (in)
2.扮演一個角色

Playing a part is similar to playing a role. They both can be used to describe how something works.
扮演類似角色扮演的一部分。他們的技術(shù)都可以用來描述工作如何進展。

The difference is that playing a role is usually used to describe someone or something that has a large role. Playing a part can also be more important, but if someone or something wasn’t important, they usually play a part, not a role.
不同的是，扮演一個角色通常被用來描述一個角色很大的人或事物。扮演一個角色也可能更重要，但如果某人或某物不重要，他們通常扮演一個部分，而不是一個角色。

That means that adjectives that go before part can include small, insignificant, and fleeting, as well as those such as key and crucial.
這意味著在前面部分的形容詞可以包括小的、不重要的和轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的，以及那些諸如“關(guān)鍵的”和“重要的”的形容詞。

Examples
例子

It’s good to make any kind of progress, but cutting coupons only plays a small part in helping you stay under budget.
取得任何進展都是好事，但削減優(yōu)惠券在幫助你保持預(yù)算內(nèi)的作用不大。

Bobby only played a fleeting part in working on the project, but he’s trying to take all the credit.
博比在這個項目的工作中只扮演了一個短暫的角色，但他正在努力獲得所有的榮譽。

Sandra keeps saying she only played an insignificant part in the company’s success, but she is seriously downplaying how important she was.
桑德拉一直說她在公司的成功中只扮演了一個微不足道的角色，但她嚴重低估了自己的重要性。

3. Play your cards right
3.行為得體，辦事得當

Playing your cards right is an idiom that comes from the various card games that are out there. It means that regardless what you have, you can win or be successful if you use your resources wisely.
Playing your cards right是一個成語，來自于各種各樣的紙牌游戲。這意味著，無論你擁有什么，如果你明智地使用你的資源，你都可以贏得或成功。

It can also mean behaving appropriately. This expression can be used in any situation.
這也意味著行為得體。這個表達式可以在任何情況下使用。

Examples
例子

If you play your cards right, we might be able to turn this in to a $10 million investment.
如果你做得對，我們可能會把它變成1000萬美元的投資。

If you play your cards right, I will buy you a chocolate bar when we leave the store.
如果你辦事得當，我們離開商店時我會給你買一塊巧克力。

I didn’t think it was possible but I was able to get a well-paying job and ace my classes when I played my cards right!
我認為這是不可能的，但當我行為得體時我能夠得到一份高薪的工作！

4. Play the system
4.暗箱操作

This means to take advantage of the rules of a specific system for your own benefit. Even though you are not technically breaking the law or the rules, you are using them in a way that isn’t fair for most other people.
這意味著為了你自己的利益而利用特定系統(tǒng)的規(guī)則。即使你沒有在技術(shù)上違反法律或規(guī)則，你使用它們的方式對大多數(shù)人來說是不公平的。

Playing the system has a negative feeling attached to it, so someone who plays the system takes full advantage of the weaknesses of that set of rules.
暗箱操作會有一種負面的感覺，所以暗箱操作的人會充分利用這套規(guī)則的弱點。

Examples
例子

Politicians often play the system by changing the laws in their favor.
政治家們經(jīng)常通過暗箱操作來操縱體制。

It sounds dirty but sometimes you have to play the system to get what you want.
這聽起來很骯臟，但有時你必須暗箱操作才能得到你想要的。

Don’t be afraid to play the system if you want to be successful.
如果你想成功，就不要暗箱操作。

5. Play for time
5.故意拖延時間

Playing for time means that you deliberately try to delay something. It doesn’t matter what you do to try to delay it, but usually, if you play for time you are trying to delay a difficult decision of some sort.
玩時間意味著你故意拖延時間。不管你怎么做來拖延時間，但通常情況下，如果你拖延時間，你會試圖拖延一些困難的決定。

Examples
例子

His excuses were terrible for continuing to delay the meeting so I could tell he was just playing for time.
他的借口是可怕的繼續(xù)拖延會議，所以我可以說他只是在故意拖延時間。

Tom was too pushy so he left me no choice but to play for time.
湯姆太急于求成了，所以他讓我別無選擇，只能故意拖延時間。

When it is almost election season, some politicians in the minority party like to play for time to see if they can delay the laws that the current majority party want to pass.
在大選即將來臨的時候，少數(shù)黨的一些政客喜歡故意拖延時間，看看他們是否能推遲目前多數(shù)黨想要通過的法律。

6. Play it safe
6.謹慎行事

If you would rather be conservative than take risks, you can play it safe. Regardless of the benefits that you might get from trying different things, play it safe to avoid losses.
如果你寧愿保守而不冒險，你可以穩(wěn)妥行事。不管你從嘗試不同的事情中獲得什么好處，都要小心避免損失。

Examples
例子

He played it safe by not gambling when he went to Las Vegas.
他去拉斯維加斯時不賭博，這是為了謹慎行事。

Sometimes playing it safe pays off; sometimes it doesn’t.
有時謹慎行事會有回報；有時沒有。

The thief escaped by playing it safe and waiting for the police to lose his trail, even though he might have been able to rob more shops in the meantime.
小偷逃走了，他裝出一副謹慎行事的樣子，等著警察找不到他的蹤跡。盡管與此同時他可能搶劫了更多的商店。

7. Play with fire
7.鋌而走險

The opposite of playing it safe is playing with fire. When you play with fire, you take a very big risk, often risks that are unnecessary.
鋌而走險的反面意義是：當你鋌而走險的時候，你會冒很大的風(fēng)險，通常是不必要的風(fēng)險。

While what you can gain from taking risks is considerable, it is also extremely risky. Think of a performer who performs with fire. They are appealing because what they do includes a lot of danger.
雖然冒險可以獲得相當大的收益，但風(fēng)險也非常大。想想一個用火表演的表演者。他們之所以吸引人，是因為他們所做的事情包含了很多危險。

Examples
例子

Are you sure? It sounds like you might be playing with fire on that one.
你確定？聽起來你好像在鋌而走險。

Playing with fire can really pay off if it works out.
鋌而走險真的能奏效。

Not everyone likes to play with fire, but those who do often have really interesting stories to tell even if they fail!
不是每個人都喜歡鋌而走險，但那些即使失敗了也有趣的故事要講！

8. Play it cool
8.故作鎮(zhèn)定

When they go on a date, a lot of people try to play it cool! Instead of showing any signs of nervousness, they will pretend they are perfectly calm and even unaffected.
當他們?nèi)ゼs會的時候，很多人都想表現(xiàn)得故作鎮(zhèn)定！他們不會表現(xiàn)出任何緊張的跡象，而是假裝他們非常平靜，甚至沒有受到影響。

Playing it cool usually means that someone is setting up a fa?ade, or showing a part of themselves that is not genuine. Along with playing it cool at dates, you can play it cool during interviews, business transactions, at a doctor’s appointment, etc.
故作鎮(zhèn)定常意味著有人在做一個假象，或者表現(xiàn)出不是真實自己的一部分。除了在約會時保持冷靜，你還可以在面試、商務(wù)交易、醫(yī)生預(yù)約等過程中保持冷靜。

Examples
例子

He tried to play it cool as much as he could but with the sweat running down his face, it’s obvious that he is very nervous.
他盡量保持冷靜，但汗流滿面，顯然他很緊張。

A lot of dating coaches will tell you to play it cool, but sometimes showing that you are nervous and excited can be very sweet!
很多約會教練會告訴你要冷靜，但有時表現(xiàn)出緊張和興奮是非常甜蜜的！

Don’t force yourself to play it cool – only do it if you really feel it!
不要強迫自己故作鎮(zhèn)定——只有當你真正感覺到的時候才這么做！

9. Play it by ear
9.見機行事

When you don’t know how to prepare for something, you should play it by ear. This means that you take the situation into consideration and adjust as it develops – perfect for times that you can’t or don’t know what to do!
當你不知道如何準備一些事情時，你應(yīng)該見機行事。這意味著你要考慮到形勢的發(fā)展，并在事態(tài)發(fā)展的過程中進行調(diào)整——這是你無法或不知道該做什么的時候的最佳選擇！

This expression can be used for any situation; it doesn’t only apply to situations that you can hear.
此表達式可用于任何情況；它不僅適用于您可以聽到的情況。

Examples
例子

The spies were used to playing it by ear.
間諜們習(xí)慣于見機行事。

I really don’t like to play it by ear but I really have no time to prepare for the meeting tomorrow.
我真的不喜歡見機行事，但我真的沒有時間為明天的會議做準備。

Sometimes playing it by ear can get you really incredible results.
有時見機行事得到令人難以置信的效果。

10. Play up
10.強調(diào)，夸大

To play something up means to make the situation seem bigger, more important, more dramatic, or more extreme than it really is.
把事情夸大意味著讓情況看起來比實際情況更大、更重要、更戲劇性或更極端。

While it doesn’t mean deliberately lying about it, the term does mean exaggerating something – highlighting the details of it and making them seem more noteworthy.
雖然這并不意味著故意撒謊，但這個術(shù)語確實意味著夸大某些東西——強調(diào)細節(jié)，使它們看起來更值得注意。

Examples
例子

If you want this plan to work, you really have to play up the skill of your teacher!
如果你想讓這個計劃奏效，你真的必須夸大你老師的技能！

Did he try just try to play up his success? He forgot that I have been with him every step of the way!
他是不是只是想夸大自己的成功？他忘了我在他身邊的每一步！

Playing up your weaknesses is a surefire way to get your application rejected.
強調(diào)你的弱點是讓你的申請被拒絕的一個可靠的方法。

11. Play down
11.貶低

The opposite of playing up is to play down. Instead of making something bigger, playing down means to try to keep something on the down low, to keep it small, and to make it seem like a smaller deal than it really is. If someone is very humble, they are probably trying to play down their accomplishments.
夸大反面是貶低。不是把事情做得更大，而是把事情放在低處，把事情放在小的地方，讓事情看起來比實際情況要小。如果有人非常謙虛，他們可能會貶低自己的成就。

Examples
例子

Wow, he really played down your qualifications! Your experience and education make you the perfect candidate for this job.
哇，他真是貶低了你的資歷！你的經(jīng)驗和教育使你成為這份工作的完美人選。

Don’t play down your skills if you are trying to pitch your services to a potential client.
如果你試圖向潛在客戶推銷你的服務(wù)，不要貶低你的技能。

I don’t understand why Theresa would want to play down her scholarship. It’s a really big deal!
我不明白特蕾莎為什么要貶低她獎學(xué)金的事。這真是一件大事！

12. Play ball
12.合作

Playing ball means to go with the flow, give in, or do what the other person wants you to do. Even if you would rather do something your own way, you might choose to give in because someone else, such as your boss or parents, insist on something else.
愿意合作意味著隨波逐流，屈服，或者做別人想讓你做的事。即使你寧愿做自己想做的事情，你也可能選擇讓步，因為其他人，比如你的老板或父母，堅持要做別的事情。

Note that play ball also has the literal meaning of playing a sport, so do not get confused if you see it used in that context!
請注意，play ball也有做運動的字面意義，所以不要混淆，如果你看到它在那個上下文中使用！

Examples
例子

It looks like the boss wants us to do things her way. Alright then, let’s play ball!
看來老板想讓我們按她的方式做事。好吧，那我們?nèi)プ駨闹噶畎桑?/div>

Play ball! The materials that we need to start working have finally arrived.
合作開始吧！我們開始工作的材料終于到了。

What else do you want me to do? I already said I would play ball!
你還想讓我做什么？我已經(jīng)說過要打球了！

13. Play the innocent
13.假裝無辜

When you want to fool someone else, you can play the innocent. This means that you pretend that you do not understand what is happening, and that it has nothing to do with you.
當你想愚弄別人時，你可以扮演無辜者。這意味著你假裝不明白發(fā)生了什么，而這與你無關(guān)。

In this case, you are most likely guilty for something, but don’t want to be blamed for it. Instead, you pretend to be innocent like the spies do in the movies.
在這種情況下，你很可能對某件事感到內(nèi)疚，但不想為此受到指責(zé)。相反，你假裝像電影里的間諜一樣清白。

Examples
例子

Do you think you can get away with this by playing the innocent? Think again!
你認為你可以通過扮演無辜者來逃避這個嗎？再想一想！

When I was caught, I didn’t know what I should do so I tried to play the innocent.
當我被抓到的時候，我不知道該怎么做，所以我試著扮演無辜者。

I don’t think this bystander is playing the innocent but it’s never easy to tell if someone is telling the truth or not
我不認為這個旁觀者是在裝無辜，但要知道某人說的是不是真的從來都不容易。

14. Play straight into someone’s hands
14.做對某人有利的事

Playing straight into someone’s hands means to help them without meaning to or do exactly what they want you to do, especially if you don’t want to.
做對某人有利的事意味著不求回報地幫助他們或做他們想要你做的事情，特別是如果你不想這樣做的話。

This is a term used a lot when talking about tricks and manipulation; having played straight into someone’s hands is usually something that is accompanied by a feeling of betrayal or being tricked.
這是一個在談?wù)摷记珊筒倏v時經(jīng)常使用的術(shù)語；做對某人有利的事通常是伴隨著背叛或被欺騙的感覺。

It often is a negative feeling, even if it does not actually harm you.
它經(jīng)常是一種消極的感覺，即使它實際上并不傷害你。

Examples
例子

The policemen set up a trap to catch the thief, who played straight into their hands by falling for the trap right away.
警察設(shè)下了一個陷阱來捉住小偷，小偷直接落入了他們的手中，立刻落入了陷阱。

Patrick knew that you would react with anger before trying to think things through, so he was banking on that reaction from you. By getting angry and yelling at the clients, you played straight into his hands.
帕特里克知道你在想問題之前會生氣，所以他指望著你的反應(yīng)。你生氣了，沖著客戶大喊大叫，這是對他有利的事。

If I play my cards right, I think I can get him to show up late to the test on purpose and play straight into my hands.
如果我行為得體，我想我可以讓他故意遲到參加考試，這是對我有利的事。

Sports
運動類

When it comes to sports, there are a number of words that you can use to describe them. While we generally say playing sports, some sports, such as running, ballet, or swimming, use different words. We go running, do ballet, and go swimming.
談到體育，你可以用許多詞來形容它們。雖然我們一般說運動，但有些運動，如跑步、芭蕾舞或游泳，會使用不同的詞。我們?nèi)ヅ懿健爬傥韬陀斡尽?/div>

For play, we usually talk about sports that need a ball or something similar (shuttlecock for badminton, disc for Frisbee, puck for hockey, etc.) to play. Below are some sports that we play rather than go or do.
在比賽中，我們通常談?wù)撔枰蚧蝾愃频倪\動（羽毛球、飛盤、曲棍球等）。下面是一些我們?nèi)ネ娑皇侨プ龅倪\動。

Play badminton
打羽毛球

Play ping pong
打乒乓球

Play football
踢足球

Play soccer
踢足球

Play baseball
打棒球

Play tennis
打網(wǎng)球

Play hockey
打曲棍球

Play chess
下象棋

Play squash
打壁球

Play volleyball
打排球

Play basketball
打籃球

Play cricket
打板球

Play board and card games
玩棋盤和紙牌游戲