angel
angel — 名詞
1. in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and several other faiths, a holy being who live
天使
宗教中傳達神諭的聖靈，常呈白衣翅膀貌
in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and several other faiths, a holy being who lives with God in heaven and travels down to earth to deliver messages or watch over people; in pictures, an angel usually wears white robes, has large feathered wings, and a glowing ring above the head.
On the church wall, an angel knelt beside the shepherds and pointed to the bright star above Bethlehem.
教堂牆上的畫裡，一位天使跪在牧羊人身旁，指向伯利恆上方那顆明亮的星。
religious-narrative use with named scene
Mira's grandmother told her that an angel watches over every child while they sleep.
米拉的奶奶告訴她，每個孩子睡覺時都有一位天使在守護。
collocation: an angel watches over
The little girl drew an angel with golden wings and a long white dress.
小女孩畫了一位有金色翅膀和白色長裙的天使。
In the painting, two angels carry a crown of stars across a dark blue sky.
畫中兩位天使捧著一頂星辰王冠，飛越深藍色的夜空。
Some Muslims believe an angel called Jibreel brought God's words to the prophet Muhammad.
一些穆斯林相信，名為吉卜利勒的天使將真主的話語帶給先知穆罕默德。
用法筆記
Frequently used with the article 'an' rather than 'the' when first mentioned. Often appears with verbs like 'appear', 'watch over', 'guard', 'send', and with descriptive adjectives such as 'guardian', 'fallen', 'heavenly'.
常見錯誤
2. someone whose thoughtfulness, generosity, or good behaviour stands out clearly —
好心人
形容人善良體貼或孩子特別乖巧
someone whose thoughtfulness, generosity, or good behaviour stands out clearly — for example a nurse who stays late with frightened patients, a friend who drives you home in a storm, or a child who plays quietly without being asked.
The nurse who sat with my father all night was an absolute angel.
那位整夜陪在我父親身邊的護士，真的是個大好人。
intensifier: 'an absolute angel'
Mr. Park has been an angel to the new families on our street.
朴先生對我們街上新搬來的家庭真是好心人。
pattern: be an angel to [someone]
The twins were little angels at their cousin's wedding and didn't cry once.
雙胞胎在表姐婚禮上乖得像小天使，一次都沒哭。
Lucia is an angel — she walks her elderly neighbor's dog every morning before school.
露西亞真是個好心孩子，每天上學前都幫年邁的鄰居遛狗。
用法筆記
Very often appears with intensifiers ('an absolute angel', 'a real angel') or in the plural 'little angels' for children. Distinguish from sense 1 by context: this sense is praise for a real person's behaviour, with no religious meaning.
常見錯誤
3. a warm name you call a partner, child, or close friend, usually when you are ple
親愛的；寶貝
對親近的人親暱的稱呼
a warm name you call a partner, child, or close friend, usually when you are pleased with them or asking a small favour — similar to calling someone 'darling' or 'sweetheart'.
Be an angel and pass me the salt, would you?
親愛的，幫我把鹽遞過來好嗎？
formula: 'be an angel and …' for polite requests
Goodnight, my angel — sleep tight and don't worry about tomorrow.
晚安，我的寶貝，好好睡，不要擔心明天的事。
vocative use with possessive 'my'
Thank you, angel, the soup is exactly what I needed.
謝謝你，親愛的，這碗湯正是我需要的。
You're a star, angel — I couldn't have finished the report without your help.
你真是太棒了，寶貝，沒有你的幫忙我這份報告寫不完。
- darling
the most common everyday equivalent across British and American English
- sweetheart
warm and slightly old-fashioned; common between partners and to children
- love
British English; widely used to friends, family, and even strangers in some regions
文法句型
used as form of address
用法筆記
Only sense used as a vocative (a name you call someone directly). Often paired with the possessive 'my' or stand-alone in a comma-set phrase. The fixed expression 'be an angel and …' softens a request.
常見錯誤
4. a wealthy individual who puts their own money into a young business — usually at
天使投資人
用個人資金投資新創公司的有錢人
a wealthy individual who puts their own money into a young business — usually at an early stage, in exchange for a share of the company — to help it grow before bigger investors get involved.
A retired tech executive became the angel behind Farouk's coffee delivery startup.
一位退休的科技高層成了莉娜咖啡外送新創背後的天使投資人。
pattern: an angel behind [a startup]
The two founders pitched their app to twelve angels before one wrote a cheque.
兩位創辦人向十二位天使投資人介紹他們的 app，最後才有一位願意開支票。
plural use in business context
Most angels in our city expect a clear plan and a working product, not just an idea on paper.
我們城市裡的天使投資人多半希望看到清楚的計畫和能用的產品，不是只有紙上構想。
Without an angel, the small biotech firm would not have survived its first winter.
若沒有一位天使投資人，那家小型生技公司熬不過第一個冬天。
Angela funded three local startups last year and now sits on each board as their angel.
安潔拉去年資助了三家在地新創，現在以天使投資人的身分坐在每家公司的董事會。
- backer
broader; anyone giving money or support, not only at an early stage
- patron
older word, more common in arts and charity than tech
- seed investor
very close in meaning; emphasises the earliest funding round
- venture capitalist
professional investor managing other people's money in a fund, usually at a later stage
用法筆記
Almost always written 'angel investor' in formal articles; 'angel' alone is used once the topic is clear. Subject is usually a private individual, not a fund or company — that is the key contrast with 'venture capitalist'.