at the point of与on the point of的用法区别

at the point of与on the point of的用法区别　　　

有朋友在本站“答疑中心”询问 at the point of 与 on the point of 的用法区别。问题见：　　

该问题由本站特约作者及专家顾问陈根花老师回答如下：　　

■严格说来，at the point of 与 on the point of 是有区别的。　　

1. at the point of 指“在……时”“在临近……时”。如以下实例均摘自英语词典：　　

at the point of death (=about to die at any moment) 在临死时　　

at the point of greatest success 在最成功的时候　　

at the point of greatest happiness 在最得意的时候　　

2. on the point of 指“正要……之际”“就要…之时”。如以下实例均摘自英语词典：　　

Already a bud on one of the roses was on the point of blooming. 一朵玫瑰花的花蕾已经要开花了。　　

We were on the point of telephoning you when your fax arrived. 我们正要给你打电话你的传真到了。　　

I’m glad you’ve come. I was just on the point of telephoning you. 我很高兴你来了，我正要给你打电话。　　

The justice system was described as being on the point of collapse. 这个司法体系被描述为“濒于崩溃的边缘”。　　

France is on the point of recognizing the independence of the Baltic States. 法国即将承认波罗的海诸国的独立。　　

■但事实上，在现代英语中两者有时可以不加区别地混用。如：　　

The climber was at / on the point of death when they found him. 当他们发现那个登山者的时候，他已奄奄一息。——摘自《牛津高阶英汉双解词》第6版　　

I was just on the point of going out the door.  我正准备要出门。——摘自《美国英语习语和短语动词词典》　　

We were almost at the point of buying a new car. 我们正准备要买辆新车。——摘自《美国英语习语和短语动词词典》