young

Compared meaning: lacking experience (adjective).

比较义项：缺乏经验、不熟悉（形容词）。

• new

  Describes someone unfamiliar with a role, place, or task simply because they only recently started it; focuses on lack of prior exposure rather than lack of skill. Common in 'new to' + noun/task.

  指某人对某个角色、地方或任务不熟悉，只是因为刚开始接触不久；重点在于缺乏事先的接触，而不是缺乏技能。常用于“new to+名词/任务”这一结构。

  I'm still new to this job, so please be patient with my mistakes.

  我对这份工作还很陌生，所以请对我的错误多一些耐心。

• young 本词

  Suggests inexperience linked to youth or a short time doing something; softer and more sympathetic than raw, implying the person will naturally improve with time.

  暗示因为年轻或做某事时间不长而缺乏经验；语气比raw更温和、更体谅，暗示这个人会随着时间自然进步。

  At only nineteen, she was still young and inexperienced compared to her rivals.

  年仅十九岁的她，与对手相比仍然又年轻又缺乏经验。

• raw

  Emphasizes a near-total lack of training or skill, often for recruits; blunter and more critical in tone, implying the person still needs significant instruction.

  强调几乎完全缺乏训练或技能，常用于形容新兵一类的人；语气更直接、更带批评意味，暗示这个人仍需大量指导。

  The raw recruits struggled to follow even the simplest drill instructions.

  这些毫无经验的新兵甚至连最简单的操练指令都难以听懂。

New, young, and raw can all mean lacking experience. New means unfamiliar with a role because of a short time there. Young means inexperienced due to youth, with an expectation of improvement. Raw means almost untrained, a blunter word for recruits.

这三个词都可以表示“缺乏经验”，但语气和侧重点不同：new强调对某个角色、地方或任务不熟悉，是因为接触时间短；young强调因年轻或资历浅而经验不足，语气较温和，暗示会随时间进步；raw则强调几乎未经训练、有待打磨，语气更直接、更带批评意味。这里不比较new表示“新造的、新买的”的字面意思，不比较raw表示“生的、未煮熟的”或“未加工的”字面意思，也不比较young表示单纯“年龄小”的字面意思。

Compared meaning: young people as a group (noun).

比较义项：年轻人（作为一个群体）（名词）。

• young 本词

  Used as a collective noun almost always with 'the' ('the young'), referring to young people as a group in general statements, often contrasted with 'the old'.

  作为集合名词几乎总是与“the”连用（“the young”），泛指年轻人这一群体，常用于和“the old”（老年人）对比的概括性表述中。

  The young are quick to embrace new technology, unlike the old.

  年轻人比老年人更快接受新技术。

• youth

  Can be used without 'the' as a mass noun, common in formal or journalistic contexts referring to young people collectively, especially regarding social issues.

  可以不加“the”作为不可数名词使用，常见于正式或新闻语境中，用来统称年轻人，尤其在涉及社会议题时（如“youth unemployment”）。

  Youth unemployment remains a serious problem across Europe.

  青年失业问题在整个欧洲仍然十分严重。

Young and youth can both mean young people as a group. Young is almost always used with 'the', as in 'the young', often contrasted with 'the old'. Youth can be used without an article, as an uncountable noun, especially in formal or news writing.

这两个词在表示“年轻人（这一群体）”时意思相近，但用法不同：young通常必须加“the”构成“the young”，多用于与“the old”对比的概括性说法；youth则常可不加冠词直接作集合名词，多见于正式或统计性语境，如“youth unemployment”。此处不比较young作形容词表示“年轻的”，也不比较youth表示“青年时期／青春”的义项。

Compared meaning: baby animals (noun).

比较义项：动物的幼崽（名词）。

• young 本词

  An informal, everyday word for baby animals collectively, almost always appearing as 'the young' or 'their young'; common in nature descriptions, not used in formal or scientific writing.

  口语化、常用于日常语境的词，几乎总是以“the young”或“their young”的形式出现，多用于自然、动物题材的描写，不用于正式或科学性文本。

  Penguins take turns keeping their young warm in the freezing wind.

  企鹅轮流让幼崽在刺骨寒风中保持温暖。

• offspring

  A formal, often scientific word for children or animal young, with identical singular and plural forms, typically used in discussions of genetics, biology, or family lineage.

  正式、常见于科学语境的词，指子女或动物幼崽，单复数同形，多用于遗传学、生物学或家族血统相关的讨论中。

  The study tracked how a mutation is passed on to future offspring.

  这项研究追踪了一种基因突变如何遗传给后代。

Young and offspring can both mean baby animals. Young is informal and everyday, almost always about animals, common in nature writing. Offspring is more formal, often scientific, with the same form for singular and plural, and can mean animal babies or human children.

这两个词在指“子女／幼崽”时意思相近，但语域不同：young 更口语化，几乎只用于动物，常见于自然题材的描写；offspring 更正式，常用于科学或家系语境，既可指动物幼崽，也可指人的子女。这里不比较 offspring 表示抽象“产物、结果”的用法，也不比较 young 作形容词表示“年轻的”的用法。