fair

Compared meaning: fair, treating people justly (adjective).

比较义项：公平的（形容词）。

• fair 本词

  A common, everyday word meaning treating people equally or acting rightly; used in casual speech about people, games, rules or judgments.

  常见的日常用词，指公平地对待他人或做事合乎情理；常用于口语中谈论人、游戏、规则或评判。

  It's not fair that she got picked for the team and I didn't.

  她被选进了队里而我没有，这不公平。

• equitable

  A formal word used mainly in policy, legal or economic contexts; suggests a carefully balanced distribution that accounts for people's different needs.

  较为正式的用词，主要用于政策、法律或经济语境；强调考虑到各方不同需求而作出的合理分配。

  The city council proposed a more equitable distribution of funding among schools.

  市议会提议在各学校之间更公平地分配资金。

Fair and equitable both mean fair, but their tone differs. Fair is common and casual, used for people, games, or rules. Equitable is formal, mainly used in policy, law, or economics, and suggests a balanced distribution that considers people's different needs.

这两个词在“公平的”这一义项上意思相近，但语气和使用场合不同：fair更口语化、日常，多用于谈论人、游戏或规则；equitable更正式，常用于政策、法律或资源分配等书面语境，强调照顾到各方不同需求的合理分配。

Compared meaning: not large in amount or quality, but acceptable (adjective).

比较义项：形容数量、程度或质量“不算多／不算突出，但过得去”的说法（形容词）。

• small

  Means simply little in amount or size, with no judgement of whether that is good or bad; the most basic, neutral word on this scale, and the only one that clearly signals 'not enough' rather than 'good enough'.

  意思就是数量或体积少，本身不带好坏评价；是这组词里最基本、最中性的说法，也是唯一明确表示“不够”而非“尚可”的词。

  The company posted only a small profit this quarter.

  这家公司本季度的利润非常少。

• average

  Describes something that matches the typical or usual level for its group, not necessarily low; it compares against a norm rather than saying an amount is small or good.

  表示与该群体的一般水平相符，不一定就是低；它是跟“常态”作比较，而不是说数量少或质量好。

  His test score was average, right in the middle of the class.

  他的考试成绩中等，正好在班级中游。

• fair 本词

  Rates something as reasonably good or acceptable, above poor but below excellent; unlike the others it carries a positive quality judgement rather than describing a small quantity.

  表示某事物相当不错、可以接受，比“差”好但比不上“优秀”；跟其他几个词不同，它带有正面的质量评价，而不是形容数量少。

  His grasp of French is fair, though far from fluent.

  他的法语掌握得还算可以，但远谈不上流利。

• modest

  Describes an amount that is small but presented as adequate or unpretentious, often used approvingly for income, size, or success to soften the fact that it is not large.

  形容数量虽小但被认为是够用的、不张扬的，常用于收入、规模或成就，带有委婉、不夸张的正面语气。

  The couple lives in a modest house on the edge of town.

  这对夫妇住在镇边一栋不大但过得去的房子里。

Small, average, fair, and modest all describe something not large, but differ. Small means little. Average means typical for its group, not necessarily low. Fair means reasonably good, better than poor. Modest means small but presented as good enough. Other meanings are not compared here.

这几个词都能形容数量、程度或质量“不算大、不算突出”，但语气和感情色彩不同，学习者常混淆。这里不比较 fair 表示“公平的、公正的”（如 That's not fair）的意思，也不比较 modest 形容人“谦逊、不自负”（如 modest about his achievements）的意思。

Compared meaning: light in color, especially hair or skin (adjective).

比较义项：浅色的（形容词）。

• fair 本词

  Fair is a broad term for a light complexion, applied to skin as well as hair; it doesn't name a specific shade and pairs naturally with "skin".

  fair 是个泛指“浅色”的词，既可用于肤色，也可用于发色；它并不特指某一具体色调，常与“肤色”搭配使用。

  She has very fair skin that burns easily in the sun.

  她的皮肤很白皙，很容易被晒伤。

• blonde

  Blonde names one specific hair color, a pale golden or yellowish shade, and is used only for hair, never for skin tone.

  blonde 特指一种具体的发色——浅金黄色，只用于头发，从不用于形容肤色。

  She dyed her hair blonde for the summer.

  她把头发染成了金色，迎接夏天。

Fair and blonde both describe a light color, but fair is broader, used for skin or hair, while blonde names one specific golden hair color and is never used for skin. This card does not cover fair's common meaning of 'just' or 'reasonable'.

这两个词都可表示颜色浅，但侧重点不同：fair 泛指肤色或发色浅，常用于形容肤色，也可形容头发；blonde 专指头发呈金黄色，只用于头发（或眉毛、胡须等体毛），不用于形容肤色。这里不比较 fair 表示“公平的”这一常用义项。

Compared meaning: a public event where goods are sold (noun).

比较义项：设摊出售商品的公开活动（集市、义卖会）（名词）。

• fair 本词

  Broader and more common: any public event where goods, produce, or exhibits are shown or sold, such as a trade fair or county fair; it need not raise money for charity.

  更宽泛、更常用：指展示或出售商品、展品或农产品的公开活动，例如商品展销会或县集市；不一定是为慈善筹款。

  Farmers bring their prize animals to the county fair every August.

  每年八月，农民们都会把获奖的牲畜带到县集市展览会上。

• bazaar

  Narrower: specifically a sale event, often run by a school, church, or charity, where stalls sell donated or handmade goods to raise money for a cause.

  范围更窄：特指由学校、教堂或慈善机构举办的义卖活动，摊位出售捐赠或手工制作的物品，用以为某项事业筹款。

  The PTA is holding a bazaar next Saturday to raise money for new playground equipment, with stalls selling donated toys and cakes.

  家长教师协会下周六将举办一场义卖活动，摊位出售捐赠的玩具和蛋糕，为购买新的游乐设施筹款。

Fair and bazaar both name public events where goods are sold, but fair is broader, covering trade shows, farm fairs, or fairs with rides, not necessarily for charity. Bazaar is narrower: a small sale, often at a school or church, raising money for a cause.

这两个词都指设有摊位、出售商品的公开活动，但 fair 更宽泛，可以是商品展销会、农产品展或带游乐设施的集市，不一定与慈善有关；bazaar 特指为慈善或公益筹款而举办的义卖活动，规模通常较小，常见于学校、教堂等场合。这里不比较 fair 作形容词表示“公平的”的用法。