enigma

Compared meaning: something hard to understand or explain (noun).

比较义项：难以理解或解释的事物（名词）。

• mystery

  The everyday, neutral word for anything unexplained; used in casual speech, often about events, objects or crimes that could eventually be solved (a murder mystery, solve a mystery).

  更口语、中性的词，指任何未解释清楚的事情；常用于日常语境，指事件、物品或案件，通常暗示最终有可能解开（如 a murder mystery、solve a mystery）。

  Detectives spent months trying to solve the mystery of the empty vault.

  侦探们花了几个月时间，试图解开保险库为何空空如也的谜团。

• enigma 本词

  A more formal, literary word borrowed from Greek; often describes a person or a deep puzzle that seems permanently unsolvable, and pairs with remains/stays rather than solve.

  更正式、书面化的词，源自希腊语；常用来形容一个人，或一个似乎永远无法解开的深奥谜团，常与 remains、stays 搭配，而不是 solve。

  To his colleagues, the reclusive scientist remained a total enigma.

  在同事们眼中，这位深居简出的科学家始终是个难以捉摸的谜。

Mystery and enigma both name something hard to explain. Mystery is the everyday, neutral word, used in casual speech about events, objects, or crimes that could eventually be solved. Enigma is more formal and literary, often describing a person or puzzle that seems permanently unsolvable.

这两个词都指难以理解或解释清楚的事物：mystery 是日常口语中最常用的词，语域中性；enigma 更正式、书面化，常形容一个人或一件事显得深不可测、似乎永远无法解开。这里不比较 mystery 用作“推理／悬疑类小说或电影”的用法（如 a mystery novel）。