branch
branch — 名詞
1. a long woody part coming from the trunk or a thick stem of a tree
樹枝
從樹幹或粗枝長出的枝條
a long woody part coming from the trunk or a thick stem of a tree
A heavy apple bent the branch low over the fence.
一顆很重的蘋果把那根樹枝壓低到圍籬上方。
Two sparrows landed on a thin branch above the pond.
兩隻麻雀停在池塘上方的一根細樹枝上。
on a branch
Snow broke a dead branch behind the old church.
積雪折斷了老教堂後方的一根枯樹枝。
Noa hung paper stars from the lowest branch of the pine.
Noa 把紙星星掛在那棵松樹最低的一根樹枝上。
文法句型
a branch of + tree
on a branch
用法筆記
A branch is thicker than a twig and usually grows directly from the trunk or from another large branch. In everyday speech, this is the most common concrete sense of the word.
2. one place in a town where a larger company or group works or serves customers
分店；分部
大公司或機構的地方據點
one place in a town where a larger company or group works or serves customers
The bank opened a new branch near the night market.
那家銀行在夜市附近新開了一間分行。
common noun pair: bank branch
Diego works at the Kaohsiung branch of an insurance company.
Diego 在一家保險公司的高雄分部工作。
Customers can return online orders to any branch in the chain.
顧客可以把網購訂單拿到這家連鎖店的任何分店退貨。
The branch on Zhongshan Road closes at six on Fridays.
中山路上的那家分店星期五六點打烊。
文法句型
a branch in + place
the [city] branch of + company
用法筆記
This sense is about the physical office, shop, or service point in a particular place. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about an internal division and not necessarily a building people visit.
常見錯誤
3. a division inside a large organization or government, each with its own job
部門
組織內負責某項工作的單位
a division inside a large organization or government, each with its own job
The finance branch checks every payment for the school lunch program.
財務部門會檢查學校午餐計畫的每一筆付款。
Rashida joined the health branch of the city government.
Rashida 加入了市政府的衛生部門。
branch of + government body
At city hall, each branch handles a different stack of forms.
在市政廳裡，每個部門都處理不同的一疊表格。
In its ruling, the court said one branch of government cannot control another.
法院在裁定中表示，政府的一個部門不能控制另一個部門。
- division
broad term for a separate unit inside an organization
- department
often more official and common in schools, companies, and government
- arm
emphasizes function or power, especially in politics or business
文法句型
a branch of + organization
branch of government
用法筆記
Use this sense for the functional unit inside a large body. Distinguish from sense 2, which names the local place where that company or organization operates.
常見錯誤
4. one of the main parts of a subject, or a smaller group inside a language family
分科；支系
學科的分支或語系中的一支
one of the main parts of a subject, or a smaller group inside a language family
Marine biology is one branch of science taught at this college.
海洋生物學是這所學院教授的一個科學分科。
branch of + subject area
Professor Lin studies a branch of history about trade routes.
Lin 教授研究的是歷史中的一個分科，主題是貿易路線。
On the museum chart, Slavic appears as one branch of Indo-European.
在博物館的圖表上，斯拉夫語群被標成印歐語系的一個支系。
This branch of math helps pilots plan the shortest route.
數學的這個分科能幫助飛行員規劃最短路線。
文法句型
a branch of + subject
a branch of + language family
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'of': a branch of physics, a branch of history, a branch of Indo-European. Distinguish from sense 3, which is about an organizational unit rather than a field of study.
常見錯誤
5. a smaller river, road, rail line, or similar route that separates from the main
支流；岔路
從主河道或主線分出去的一段
a smaller river, road, rail line, or similar route that separates from the main one
A narrow branch of the river runs behind the village.
那條河的一條支流從村子後方流過。
branch of + river
Near the bridge, the main road has a branch to the airport.
橋附近，主幹道有一條通往機場的岔路。
has a branch to + place
The branch line ends at a small farming town.
那條支線的終點是一座小農鎮。
Past the bridge, one branch of the highway turns east to the farms.
過橋後，高速公路的一條岔線往東通往農場。
文法句型
a branch of + river/road/railway
用法筆記
Often used for lines or routes that leave a main line. With rivers, a close synonym is 'tributary'; with roads and railways, it suggests a side line rather than the main route.
6. one line of a family that comes from the same earlier relatives
家族支系
同祖先家族中的一支
one line of a family that comes from the same earlier relatives
Only one branch of the Chen family still lives here.
Chen 家族如今只有一個家族支系還住在這裡。
branch of + family
The photo album follows a branch of the Kaur family back five generations.
這本相簿追溯 Kaur 家族其中一個支系的五代歷史。
After the wedding, both branches of the family met at noon.
婚禮後，這個家族的兩個支系在中午碰面了。
A distant branch of our family moved to Peru long ago.
我們家族的一個遠親支系很久以前搬到了祕魯。
文法句型
a branch of + family
用法筆記
This sense often appears with family names or words like 'family', 'house', and 'line'. It is about relatives, not about offices or departments.
7. one of the small nerves or blood vessels that split off from a main one
支脈；神經支
從主血管或主神經分出的細支
one of the small nerves or blood vessels that split off from a main one
The scan showed a branch of the nerve near her jaw.
掃描顯示她下巴附近有一條神經分支。
branch of + nerve
Doctors repaired a tiny branch of the damaged artery.
醫師修復了受損動脈的一條細小血管分支。
Sharp pain spread when the dentist pressed a nerve branch.
牙醫按到一條神經分支時，刺痛便擴散開來。
On the screen, dye entered a small branch of the artery.
螢幕上可見染劑進入動脈的一條小支脈。
文法句型
a branch of + nerve
a branch of + artery/blood vessel
用法筆記
Common in medical writing. The image is the same as a tree branch: one main line gives rise to smaller lines.
branch — 動詞
1. to send out new side stems or branch-like parts as a plant grows
分枝；長枝條
植物長出枝條或側枝
to send out new side stems or branch-like parts as a plant grows
Young tomato plants branch quickly in warm summer weather.
幼小的番茄植株在溫暖的夏天很快就會分枝。
intransitive: plant subject
The rose bush branched low and filled the whole pot.
那株玫瑰灌木從很低的地方分枝，長滿了整個盆子。
This tree branches well after a hard spring cut.
這棵樹在春天重剪後很容易長出側枝。
By late August, wild vines branch along the garden wall.
到了八月底，野生藤蔓就會沿著花園圍牆長出分枝。
文法句型
[plant] branch + adverb
[plant] branch after + event
用法筆記
Used mainly with plants or other natural forms that grow side parts. The common pattern is intransitive, with the plant itself as the subject.
2. to split away from one main line and continue in more than one direction
分岔
由主線分成兩路以上
to split away from one main line and continue in more than one direction
The path branches near the lake and reaches two camps.
這條小徑在湖邊分岔，通往兩個營地。
intransitive: path subject
At the tunnel, the road branched left toward the port.
到了隧道口，那條路向左分岔通往港口。
branch + direction word
Near the falls, two narrow streams branch from the main river.
瀑布附近有兩條細溪從主河道分岔出去。
The hiking trail branches into three routes above the dam.
這條登山步道在水壩上方分岔成三條路線。
文法句型
[road/path/river] branch + direction
[road/path/river] branch into + number + routes
[road/path/stream] branch from + main line
用法筆記
Often used of roads, paths, rivers, and similar lines. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about plants producing new growth rather than routes dividing.