Jack Ma: Rejected 30 Times马云：被拒绝 30 次
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EN： The phrase 'later known as Jack Ma' is a reduced relative clause (appositive) used to provide extra information about the subject. It functions like 'who was later known as'.
中文： 短语 'later known as Jack Ma' 是一个简化的关系从句（同位语），用于提供关于主语的额外信息。其功能相当于 'who was later known as'。
The city, once called Edo, is now known as Tokyo.
这座城市曾被称为江户，现在以东京之名为人所知。
EN： The verb 'faced' is in the past simple tense, used here to describe a completed state or situation in the subject's past history.
中文： 动词 'faced' 使用一般过去时，在此用于描述主语过去历史中一个已完成的状态或处境。
She faced many difficulties during her first year abroad.
她在国外第一年期间面临了许多困难。
EN： Jack Ma is a global icon of entrepreneurship. His English name, 'Jack', was given to him by a foreign tourist he befriended while working as a free guide in Hangzhou.
中文： 馬雲是全球創業精神的標誌性人物。他的英文名「Jack」是一位外國遊客送給他的，當時他在杭州擔任免費導遊並與該遊客結為好友。
EN： The correlative structure 'not once, but [number]' is used for emphasis to highlight that an action occurred more than once, often implying that the repetition is significant or surprising.
中文： 关联结构「not once, but [次数]」用于强调某事不只发生过一次，通常暗示这种重复具有重要意义或令人惊讶。
She called him not once, but three times before he answered.
在他接听之前，她不只打了一次，而是打了三次电话给他。
EN： The Past Simple tense is used here to describe a completed action in the past. 'Failed' is the regular past form of the verb 'fail'.
中文： 此处使用一般过去时来描述过去已完成的动作。「Failed」是动词「fail」的规则过去式形式。
They failed the inspection last week.
他们上周的检查没过。
EN： In many East Asian cultures, the university entrance exam (like the Gaokao in China) is a high-stakes event that is seen as a primary determinant of a person's future success. Failing it multiple times and still succeeding later is a powerful narrative of resilience.
中文： 在許多東亞文化中，大學入學考試（如中國的高考）是一項影響重大的事件，被視為決定一個人未來成功的主要因素。多次落榜但最終仍取得成功，是一個展現韌性的強大敘事。
EN： Passive Voice (be + past participle): Used when the focus is on the person or thing receiving the action. In this sentence, 'was rejected' emphasizes Jack Ma's experience rather than the company's action.
中文： 被动语态 (be 动词 + 过去分词)：用于强调动作的承受者而非执行者。在本句中，「was rejected」强调的是马云的遭遇，而非肯德基公司的行为。
The proposal was rejected by the committee yesterday.
该提议昨天被委员会否决了。
EN： Numerical Expressions (X out of Y): A common way to express proportions or ratios, where X is the number of successful cases and Y is the total number of attempts or candidates.
中文： 数量表达方式 (X out of Y)：一种表达比例或比率的常用方式，X 代表成功的数量，Y 代表尝试或候选者的总数。
Nine out of ten students passed the final exam.
十名学生中有九名通过了期末考试。
EN： This sentence refers to a famous anecdote about Jack Ma's early failures. In the 1990s, Western fast-food chains like KFC were expanding rapidly in China and were seen as prestigious places to work, making his rejection particularly poignant.
中文： 這句話引用了關於馬雲早期失敗的一個著名軼事。在 1990 年代，肯德基等西方快餐連鎖店在中國迅速擴張，被視為體面的工作場所，這使得他的被拒絕顯得格外令人感慨。
EN： The preposition 'despite' is used to introduce a contrast, meaning 'even though something happened'. It must be followed by a noun, noun phrase, or a gerund (-ing form), not a full clause.
中文： 介词 'despite' 用于引进对比，意为「尽管、虽然」。其后必须接名词、名词短语或动名词（-ing），不能直接接完整的从句。
Despite the heavy rain, they decided to go for a hike.
尽管下着大雨，他们还是决定去徒步。
EN： The modal verb 'would' is used here as the 'future in the past'. It describes an event that was going to happen from a viewpoint in the past.
中文： 助动词 'would' 在此处用作「过去将来时」。它从过去的角度描述未来将会发生的事件，常用于叙事文学中。
He didn't know then that this decision would change his life forever.
他当时并不知道这个决定将永远改变他的人生。
EN： Jack Ma's story is a classic example of the 'rags to riches' narrative, which is highly valued in both Western and modern Chinese business culture. The emphasis on persistence despite failure is a universal theme in success stories.
中文： 馬雲的故事是典型的「白手起家」敘事，這在西方和現代中國商業文化中都受到高度重視。強調在失敗中堅持不懈是成功故事中的普世主題。
EN： Present Participle Phrase (V-ing): The phrase 'earning just $12 a month' is a reduced relative clause or a participial phrase that describes the result or a simultaneous action of the main clause. It functions as an adverbial modifier to provide more information about the subject's situation.
中文： 现在分词短语 (V-ing)：'earning just $12 a month' 是一个简化的关系从句或分词短语，用来描述主句动作的结果或同时发生的状态。它在此作为副词修饰语，补充说明主语当时的情况。
She worked late every night, hoping to get a promotion.
她每天晚上加班，希望能获得晋升。
EN： Past Simple Tense: The verb 'became' is the past tense of 'become'. It is used here to describe a completed action or a change of state that occurred at a specific time in the past.
中文： 一般过去时：动词 'became' 是 'become' 的过去式。这里用来描述在过去特定时间点完成的动作或状态的改变。
He became a doctor after years of hard study.
经过多年的努力学习，他成为了一名医生。
EN： The mention of '$12 a month' highlights the economic conditions in China during the early 1990s and emphasizes Jack Ma's humble beginnings. It serves as a stark contrast to his later success as one of the world's wealthiest individuals.
中文： 文中提到「每月 12 美元」突顯了 1990 年代初期中國的經濟狀況，並強調了馬雲平凡的出身。這與他後來成為全球最富有的人之一的成功歷程形成了鮮明對比。
EN： Past Perfect Tense (had + past participle): This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action or a specific time in the past. In this context, it emphasizes that his English learning happened before he became a teacher or visited Seattle.
中文： 过去完成时 (had + 过去分词)：该时态用于描述在过去某个动作或特定时间点之前就已经完成的动作。在此语境中，它强调他在成为老师或前往西雅图之前就已经完成了英语学习的过程。
She had finished her homework before her parents came home.
在她的父母回家之前，她就已经完成了作业。
EN： The preposition 'by' + Gerund (-ing): This structure is used to indicate the method or means by which something is achieved. It answers the question 'How?'.
中文： 介词 'by' + 动名词 (-ing)：此结构用于表示达成某事的手段或方法。它回答了「如何达成？」的问题。
You can improve your health by exercising regularly.
你可以通过规律运动来改善健康。
EN： In the 1980s, when Jack Ma was learning English, China was just beginning to open up to the world. Hangzhou, being a scenic city, attracted foreign tourists. Volunteering as a guide was a rare and proactive way for a local Chinese person to practice English with native speakers at that time.
中文： 在 1980 年代馬雲學習英語時，中國才剛開始對外開放。杭州作為風景名勝城市，吸引了許多外國遊客。在當時，擔任志願導遊是當地中國人與母語人士練習英語的一種罕見且積極的方式。
EN： The sentence uses the Past Simple tense ('practiced', 'absorbed') to describe completed actions in the past. The time expression 'For nine years' indicates the duration of these past actions.
中文： 此句使用一般过去时（practiced, absorbed）来描述过去已完成的动作。时间副词短语「For nine years」（长达九年）则用来表示这些过去动作持续的时间长度。
For five years, she lived in London and studied art.
五年来，她住在伦敦并学习艺术。
EN： Parallel Structure: When using a coordinating conjunction like 'and', the verbs should be in the same form. Here, both 'practiced' and 'absorbed' are in the past tense to maintain consistency.
中文： 平行结构：当使用并列连词「and」时，动词应保持形式一致。在此句中，「practiced」与「absorbed」皆为过去式，以维持句法的一致性。
He opened the book and started reading.
他打开书并开始阅读。
EN： The mention of 'nine years' highlights the traditional Chinese value of persistence and long-term effort (often referred to as 'Kung Fu' in its original sense of skill achieved through hard work over time). Jack Ma's story is frequently used in China as a modern example of this virtue.
中文： 提到「九年」強調了中國傳統價值觀中的堅持與長期努力（即「功夫」的原意：透過長時間勤奮練習而獲得的技能）。馬雲的故事在中國常被視為這種美德的現代典範。
EN： Past Participle Phrase as a Modifier: The phrase 'driven by...' is a past participle phrase that functions as an adjective to describe the subject 'man'. It indicates a passive state or the cause behind an action.
中文： 过去分词短语作修饰语：'driven by...' 是一个过去分词短语，在此句中充当形容词来修饰主语 'man'。它表示一种被动的状态或某种行为背后的成因。
The athlete, motivated by the crowd, finished the race.
那位运动员受到群众的激励，完成了比赛。
EN： Compound Adjectives: 'Self-taught' is a compound adjective formed by a noun/pronoun and a past participle, used to describe someone who learned a skill without formal instruction.
中文： 复合形容词：'Self-taught' 是由名词/代词与过去分词构成的复合形容词，用来描述某人是在没有正式指导的情况下自学成才的。
She is a self-made millionaire.
她是一位白手起家的百万富翁。
EN： In Western business culture, being 'self-taught' is often highly respected as it demonstrates initiative, grit, and intellectual curiosity—qualities Jack Ma is famous for.
中文： 在西方商業文化中，「自學成才」(self-taught) 通常受到高度尊重，因為這展現了主動性、毅力和求知慾，而這些正是馬雲廣為人知的特質。
EN： The sentence uses the Past Simple tense ('visited', 'experienced') to describe completed actions that happened at a specific time in the past (1995).
中文： 本句使用一般过去时（visited, experienced）来描述在过去特定时间（1995年）已经完成的动作。
She visited London last summer and enjoyed the museums.
她去年夏天访问了伦敦，并且很喜欢那些博物馆。
EN： The phrase 'for the first time' is an adverbial phrase used to indicate that an event has never happened before the specified moment.
中文： 短语 'for the first time' 是一个副词短语，用来表示某个事件在指定时刻之前从未发生过，即「第一次」。
I saw snow for the first time when I was ten.
我十岁时第一次见到雪。
EN： Seattle was a major tech hub in the 1990s (home to Microsoft and Amazon), making it a significant location for Jack Ma's first encounter with the internet.
中文： 西雅圖在1990年代是主要的科技中心（微軟和亞馬遜的所在地），這使得它成為馬雲首次接觸網際網路的一個具有重要意義的地點。
EN： The sentence uses the Past Simple tense ('searched', 'appeared') to describe completed actions in a specific historical context (Jack Ma's 1995 trip).
中文： 本句使用一般过去时（searched, appeared）来描述在特定历史背景下（马云1995年的旅行）已经完成的动作。
She looked for her keys but found nothing.
她寻找她的钥匙，但什么也没发现。
EN： The coordinating conjunction 'but' is used to connect two independent clauses, showing a contrast between the action (searching) and the unexpected result (no results).
中文： 并列连词「but」用于连接两个独立从句，展现动作（搜寻）与出乎意料的结果（没有结果）之间的对比。
He studied hard, but he failed the test.
他努力学习，但考试不及格。
EN： This sentence highlights the digital divide in the mid-1990s. At that time, China had very little presence on the global internet, which inspired Jack Ma to start his first internet business, 'China Pages'.
中文： 這句話凸顯了1990年代中期的數位落差。當時，中國在全球網際網路上的存在感極低，這啟發了馬雲創立他的第一個網路事業「中國黃頁」。
EN： The Past Perfect Tense (had + past participle) is used to describe an action or state that was completed before another point in the past. In this sentence, China's lack of presence occurred before the moment Jack Ma realized it.
中文： 过去完成时 (had + 过去分词) 用于描述在过去某个时间点或动作之前就已经完成的动作或状态。在此句子中，中国缺乏网络存在感的情况发生在马云「意识到」之前。
She realized that she had left her keys at home.
她意识到她把钥匙忘在家里了。
EN： Noun Clauses with 'that' function as the object of a verb (like 'realized'). The word 'that' introduces a complete sentence that acts as the thing being thought, said, or felt.
中文： 由 'that' 引导的名词从句作为动词（如 'realized'）的宾语。'that' 引导一个完整的句子，用来表达所思考、说出或感觉到的内容。
I believe that technology can change the world.
我相信科技可以改变世界。
EN： In the mid-1990s, the internet was rapidly expanding in the West, but China was just beginning to connect. This moment highlights the 'digital divide' that existed before China became a global tech powerhouse.
中文： 在 1990 年代中期，網際網路在西方迅速擴張，但中國才剛開始起步。這個時刻凸顯了在中國成為全球科技強國之前所存在的「數位落差」。
EN： The sentence uses the Past Simple Tense (was) to describe a state or situation that existed at a specific time in the past, specifically referring to the late 1990s in the context of Jack Ma's story.
中文： 本句使用一般过去时（was）来描述过去特定时间点存在的状态或情况，在此指 1990 年代末期马云故事中的背景。
The invention of the steam engine was a major turning point for the industry.
蒸汽机的发明是工业的一个重大转折点。
EN： The preposition 'for' is used here to indicate the recipient or the entity affected by the 'opportunity'. It shows who benefits from the situation.
中文： 介词「for」在此用于表示「机会」的接收者或受影响的实体，显示谁从该情况中获益。
This scholarship is a great chance for students from low-income families.
这项奖学金对来自低收入家庭的学生来说是一个很好的机会。
EN： In the late 1990s, China's digital infrastructure was in its infancy. Jack Ma's realization that the internet could bridge the gap between Chinese suppliers and global buyers was a visionary insight that transformed the Chinese economy.
中文： 在 1990 年代末期，中國的數位基礎設施尚處於起步階段。馬雲意識到網際網路可以彌合中國供應商與全球買家之間的差距，這是一個具有遠見的洞察力，隨後徹底改變了中國經濟。
EN： The sentence uses the Past Simple tense ('gathered') to describe a completed action that occurred at a specific time in the past ('In 1999').
中文： 句子使用了一般过去时（gathered），用来描述在过去特定时间点（1999年）已经完成的动作。
She started her own business two years ago.
她两年前开始创业。
EN： Prepositional phrases of time and place: 'In 1999' (time) and 'in his small apartment' (place) provide essential context to the main action.
中文： 时间与地点的介词短语：「In 1999」（时间）与「in his small apartment」（地点）为主要动作提供了必要的背景信息。
They met at a coffee shop on Monday.
他们周一在一家咖啡店见面。
EN： The '18 Founders' of Alibaba (Jack Ma plus the 17 friends mentioned) is a legendary story in the Chinese tech industry, symbolizing the humble beginnings of a global giant in a residential apartment.
中文： 阿里巴巴的「18位創始人」（馬雲加上提到的17位朋友）是中國科技產業中的傳奇故事，象徵著一家全球巨頭在普通民宅公寓中艱苦創業的起點。
EN： The verb 'give' is often used with nouns like 'speech', 'presentation', or 'talk' to describe the act of delivering a formal address. This is a common collocation (words that naturally go together).
中文： 动词「give」常用于「speech」（演讲）、「presentation」（演示）或「talk」（谈话）等名词，用来描述发表正式演说的行为。这是一种常见的词汇搭配（collocation）。
She gave an inspiring speech at the graduation ceremony.
她在毕业典礼上发表了一场感人至深的演讲。
EN： The preposition 'about' is followed by a gerund (verb + -ing) when describing the topic or purpose of an action. Here, 'creating' acts as a noun phrase.
中文： 介词「about」后面接动名词（动词 + -ing）来描述某个动作的主题或目的。在这里，「creating」作为名词短语使用。
We had a long discussion about improving our sales strategy.
我们针对改善销售策略进行了长久的讨论。
EN： The phrase 'online marketplace' in 1999 was a revolutionary concept in China, where internet access was extremely limited. Jack Ma's ability to convince 17 friends to invest in this vision is often cited in business studies as a prime example of charismatic leadership and 'Guanxi' (social networking/trust) in Chinese culture.
中文： 「線上市場」（online marketplace）在 1999 年的中國是一個革命性的概念，當時網路普及率極低。馬雲能說服 17 位朋友投資這個願景，在商業研究中常被引用為魅力型領導以及中國文化中「關係」（社交網絡與信任）的典型案例。
EN： The use of 'to + infinitive' (to make) functions as an infinitive of purpose, explaining 'why' the action of pooling money was taken.
中文： 不定式 (to + 动词原形) 在此作为「目的状语」，用来解释为什么要采取「集资」这个行动。
She saved money to buy a new laptop.
她存钱是为了买一台新笔记本电脑。
EN： The phrase 'make [something] a reality' follows the structure 'make + object + complement', where the complement describes the resulting state of the object.
中文： 短语「make [something] a reality」遵循「make + 宾语 + 补语」的结构，补语用来描述宾语最终达到的状态。
Hard work helped him make his dream a reality.
努力工作帮助他让梦想成真。
EN： The mention of 'pooling $60,000' highlights the early 'friends and family' funding stage common in startup culture, especially significant given the low wages in China at the time (Jack Ma earned $12/month previously).
中文： 提到「集資六萬美元」凸顯了創業文化中常見的「親友籌資」階段。考慮到當時中國的工資水準（馬雲之前每月僅賺12美元），這在當時是一筆巨大的信任投資。
EN： The Passive Voice (be + past participle) is used when the focus is on the action or the person/thing affected by the action, rather than who performed it. Here, 'was founded' emphasizes the creation of the company.
中文： 被动语态（be 动词 + 过去分词）用于强调动作本身或宾语，而非执行动作的人。在此处，'was founded' 强调了公司的成立。
The museum was built in 1920.
这座博物馆建于 1920 年。
EN： Apposition (Noun Phrase as Appositive): The phrase 'a testament to their shared belief' acts as an appositive, providing additional information or a description of the preceding clause or noun.
中文： 同位语（名词短语作为同位语）：短语 'a testament to their shared belief' 作为同位语，对前面的从句或名词提供额外的补充说明或描述。
He won the prize, a great honor for his family.
他赢得了奖项，这对他的家人来说是莫大的荣幸。
EN： The founding of Alibaba is a legendary story in the global tech industry, symbolizing the rise of the Chinese internet. The '18 founders' (Jack Ma and his 17 friends) is a famous detail often cited as an example of teamwork and shared vision.
中文： 阿里巴巴的創立是全球科技產業中的傳奇故事，象徵著中國互聯網的崛起。「十八羅漢」（馬雲與他的 17 位朋友）是一個著名的細節，常被引用為團隊合作和共同願景的典範。
重要单词附有 IPA 发音、定义、例句和互动式测验。
在本文中： 坚持，在困难中持续努力的毅力
在本文中： 拒绝，被排斥或不被录取的经历
在本文中： 自愿服务，无偿提供劳务
在本文中： 吸收（知识、信息等）
在本文中： 自学的，无师自通的
在本文中： 存在感，在特定领域（如网络）的影响力
在本文中： 热情的，充满激情的
在本文中： 集中（资金、资源）共同使用
在本文中： 远见，对未来的构想或蓝图
在本文中： 证明，证据
片语包含类型标示、双语定义、用法说明和例句。
To cause something that was only imagined to happen or exist.
使某事成为现实
An exam which you take to be accepted into a school or university.
入学考试
Motivated or influenced by a particular force or feeling.
受...所驱动
Used to show the number of people or things that are part of a larger group.
在...之中
The existence of a brand, company, or entity in a specific digital space or market.
网络存在感 / 数字化足迹
To combine money, resources, or information from different people for a shared purpose.
共同集资 / 汇集资源
Something that serves as clear evidence or proof of a specified fact, event, or quality.
证明 / 见证
A digital platform where multiple third-party sellers can list and sell their products to customers.
线上交易平台 / 电子市集