Birds cry plaintively before they die, men speak kindly in the presence of death.

鸟之将死，其鸣也哀；人之将死，其言也善。

《新英汉大辞典》

"My jewelry, too?" she asked plaintively. "I also pawned some jewelry."

“还有我的珠宝？”她哀哀地问，“我还抵押了些珠宝。”

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As soon as his wife or any visitor started to play the piano the dog always began to howl-10 plaintively, he said-as if it were hurt.

每当他妻子或者来客弹起钢琴，小狗就会嚎叫起来，他形容那叫声非常“哀伤”，好像受到了伤害似的。

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They ask plaintively: With extremists on both sides, how we can have civilized discourse and compromise?

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"I'm cold, " I plaintively expressed, more than once, but each time my obvious constitutional weakness was met with strict disapproval.

WSJ: My Foreign-Exchange Family, the Nudists

Why should Turkey implement difficult reforms to meet European standards, some ask plaintively, if EU membership will not be forthcoming in return?

ECONOMIST: Anchors aweigh