One site I came across used the analogy of a baby trying stand up by himself, hanging onto a table leg, and can't stand up.

我在无意浏览到的一个网站上看到过这样一个类比，我们就像一个试图自己站起来的婴儿，扶着桌腿，却站不起来。

youdao

Suppose you came across a piece of writing that you knew nothing about just lying there on the table.

假设，你读到一段，你对它一无所知的文章。

youdao

After a long silence, comments came rapid-fire across the table.

在长长的沉默后，评论像连珠炮似的弹过桌子。

youdao

Suppose you came across a piece of writing that you knew nothing about just lying there on the table.

假设，你读到一段,你对它一无所知的文章。

耶鲁公开课 - 旧约导论课程节选

New York-based designer and manufacturer Sandy Chilewich reinvented the art of the table when she came across woven vinyl, a kind of extruded yarn that could be encased in PVC.

WSJ: The Art of the Table