penetrate

Compared meaning: go through something with force or a sharp point (verb).

比较义项：用尖锐物体或力量穿入、穿透某物（动词）。

• penetrate 本词

  The most general term: to go into or through something, often a barrier, without necessarily creating a hole or using a sharp point; can describe bullets, cold, light, or ideas.

  语义最笼统的词：指进入或穿过某物（常指屏障），不一定形成孔洞，也不一定使用尖锐物体；可用于子弹、寒气、光线甚至思想等。

  Cold wind seemed to penetrate every layer of her heavy winter coat.

  寒风似乎穿透了她厚重冬衣的每一层。

• pierce

  Means to make a hole through something using a sharp, pointed object, usually forcefully and all the way through; common with ears, arrows, or needles making a lasting hole.

  指用尖锐物体用力穿透某物并形成孔洞，通常是整个穿过；常用于耳洞、箭矢或针留下持久的孔。

  She finally got her ears pierced for her sixteenth birthday.

  她终于在十六岁生日那天穿了耳洞。

• prick

  Means to make only a small, shallow hole with a fine point, causing a brief sting rather than deep penetration; typically used for skin pricked by a pin, needle, or thorn.

  只表示用细小尖锐物刺出一个很小、浅的孔，引起短暂刺痛感，而非深入穿透；通常用于针、大头针或刺扎到皮肤的情况。

  A rose thorn pricked her finger, leaving just a tiny drop of blood.

  一根玫瑰刺扎了她的手指，只渗出一小滴血。

All three mean to go through something. Penetrate is the most general, going through any barrier without a sharp point. Pierce forces a sharp point through, making a full hole. Prick makes only a tiny, shallow hole, like from a needle.

这三个词都能表示“穿透、刺穿某物”，但程度和使用场合不同：penetrate 语义最笼统，可指穿过任何屏障，不强调尖锐工具；pierce 强调用尖物用力穿出孔洞，常常是整个穿过；prick 只指细小尖物刺出的一个小孔，程度最轻。这里不比较 penetrate 表示“看穿、洞察”的引申义，也不比较 prick 表示“（耳朵等）竖起”的义项。

Compared meaning: understand something difficult completely (verb).

比较义项：想通，理解透彻（动词）。

• penetrate 本词

  Suggests seeing through something deliberately hidden or obscure, such as a secret, code, or disguise; formal and literary, common in phrases like 'penetrate the mystery'.

  指看透某种被刻意隐藏或晦涩难懂的事物（秘密、密码或伪装）；语体正式、书面化，常见于“看穿谜团”这类说法。

  The reporters never managed to penetrate the company's carefully guarded secrets.

  记者们始终未能看穿这家公司严密保守的秘密。

• fathom

  More common and everyday; describes a personal struggle to understand something puzzling or someone's reasoning, often used with 'can't/couldn't' plus a 'why' or 'how' clause.

  更常用、更口语化；通常表示个人难以理解某件令人费解的事情或某人的想法，常与“不能／无法”搭配，后接“为什么”或“怎么会”。

  I really can't fathom why she turned down such a generous offer.

  我实在弄不懂她为什么会拒绝这么慷慨的提议。

Both mean to fully understand something hard to grasp. Penetrate suggests seeing through something deliberately hidden, like a secret or code; it is formal and literary. Fathom is more common, describing a personal struggle to understand something puzzling, often with can't or couldn't.

这两个词都表示经过思考后想通、理解某件不易懂的事，但语体和常见搭配不同；这里不比较 penetrate“穿透，穿过（实体）”的义项。