“lend colour to sth” 固定搭配的词源仍围绕“colour”的抽象引申义——自14世纪起，“colour”便从“视觉色彩”延伸为“事物的生动性、可信度或外在吸引力”，如同颜色能让物体更鲜明，“lend colour”即“赋予（事物）这种‘鲜明感’”。其核心语义在18世纪正式定型为“为某事物（通常是说法、故事、情况、观点等）增添可信度、生动性或趣味性”，关键在于“通过提供细节、证据、情节等，让原本模糊、平淡或存疑的事物变得更具体、可信或吸引人”。需特别注意：该习语中“colour”为不可数名词，无复数形式；“lend”表“赋予、增添”，而非“借出”，这是区别于字面义的核心，也是高频考点。请看精彩例句：
The witness’s detailed description lent colour to the prosecutor’s case.
证人的详细描述为检察官的指控增添了可信度。
Most of the available evidence lends colour to this view.
现有的大部分证据支持这个观点。
Her childhood stories lent colour to the history, making it more interesting.
她的童年故事为历史课增添了趣味，让课堂更生动。
The new economic data lent colour to the belief that the economy is recovering.
新的经济数据为“经济正在复苏”这一观点增添了可信度。
The diplomat’s personal anecdotes lent colour to the otherwise dry speech.
外交官的个人轶事为原本枯燥的演讲增添了生动性。
Rumors of secret meetings lent colour to speculation about a government reshuffle.
秘密会议的传闻为“政府将改组”的猜测增添了可信度。
His sincere eyes and gentle words lent colour to his promise of forever, making her heart melt.
他真诚的眼神和温柔的话语为“永远”的承诺增添了可信度，让她心防瓦解。
The old letters lent colour to their marriage story, showing how much they’d loved each other.
那些旧信件为他们的婚姻故事增添了生动性，展现了彼此深厚的爱意。
The soldier’s firsthand account lent colour to the military operation, revealing its hidden difficulties.
士兵的亲身叙述为这次军事行动增添了细节，暴露了其中隐藏的困难。
He brought her favorite flowers every day, which lent colour to his courtship and showed his devotion.
他每天都送她最喜欢的花，这为他的追求增添了浪漫色彩，也体现了他的用心。
Their shared laughter and inside jokes lent colour to their friendship, making it more precious.
他们共同的笑声和私房笑话为友谊增添了趣味，让这份情谊更珍贵。
She wrote him a poem about their first date, which lent colour to her expression of love and made him cry.
她写了一首关于他们初次约会的诗，为她的爱意表达增添了生动性，让他热泪盈眶。
The CEO’s optimistic remarks lent colour to the company’s growth plan, boosting investor confidence.
CEO的乐观言论为公司的增长计划增添了可信度，提振了投资者信心。
His repeated acts of kindness—helping Lydia, defending you—lend colour to the idea that he’s not the proud man we thought.
他一次次的善举——帮助莉迪亚，为你辩护——为“他并非我们所想的那般傲慢”这一观点增添了可信度。《傲慢与偏见》
Grandma’s stories about her life in the countryside always lent colour to our family gatherings. She talked about chasing fireflies, picking wild fruits, and sharing meals with neighbors—little details that made the gatherings full of joy.
奶奶讲述她在乡下生活的往事，总能为我们的家庭聚会增添色彩。她聊起追逐萤火虫、采摘野果、与邻里共享餐食的点点滴滴——这些细节能让聚会充满欢声笑语。（2023年浙江省高考）
牢记三点：
一是动词固定用“lend”（偶尔见“give/add colour to sth”，但“lend”为标准搭配，考试优先选“lend”）；
二是“colour”为不可数名词，无复数形式（错误表达：lend colours to）；
三是介词固定用“to”，不可用“for”或“of”（错误表达：lend colour for sth）。
语境逻辑：掌握“细节/证据/情节→lend colour to→事物（观点/故事/场景）”的逻辑链，考试中若需判断该习语是否适用，可观察是否存在“通过具体内容使抽象/平淡事物更可信/生动”的关系。
