canton
canton — 名詞
1. a political division within certain countries that has its own local government
邦；行政區
國家下轄的行政分區，尤指瑞士的邦
a political division within certain countries that has its own local government and limited self-rule — the best-known example is the 26 cantons that make up Switzerland.
Switzerland is divided into 26 cantons, each with its own parliament and laws.
瑞士分為二十六個邦，每個邦都有自己的議會和法律。
divided into + number + cantons — typical counting pattern
The canton of Bern is the second-largest in Switzerland by population.
伯恩邦是瑞士人口第二多的邦。
canton of + place name
Each Swiss canton manages its own schools, hospitals, and roads.
每個瑞士邦各自管理自己的學校、醫院和道路。
Visitors to Switzerland often notice how different each canton feels in language and culture.
前往瑞士的遊客常常注意到每個邦在語言和文化上的差異有多大。
The canton system gives local communities a strong voice in national decisions.
邦的制度讓地方社群在國家決策中有很強的發言權。
- state
a larger, more autonomous political region (e.g., US state, German Bundesland); cantons are generally smaller
- province
a similar administrative region, common in Canada and China; provinces are usually larger than cantons
- region
a more general term for any geographic area with defined borders, not necessarily self-governing
文法句型
a/the + canton
canton of + place name
用法筆記
In learner contexts, canton most often refers to the 26 Swiss cantons. The word is also used historically for administrative divisions in France (départements) and Quebec (township-like areas), but these uses are much rarer in everyday English.
常見錯誤
2. the rectangular area located in the upper-left corner of a flag that has a colou
旗角
國旗左上角不同顏色的區塊
the rectangular area located in the upper-left corner of a flag that has a colour or design unlike the main part of the flag cloth — for example, the blue square with white stars on the US flag.
The canton of the American flag contains fifty white stars on a blue background.
美國國旗的旗角是藍底配上五十顆白色的星星。
canton of the + [country] flag — most common pattern
Many former British colonies kept the Union Jack in the canton of their flags after independence.
許多前英國殖民地在獨立後仍將英國國旗放在國旗的旗角上。
The Australian flag places the Union Jack in its canton and the Southern Cross stars across the main field.
澳洲國旗的旗角是英國國旗，旗面其餘部分是南十字星。
A plain flag with no emblem or canton is called a solid-colour field.
沒有任何徽章或旗角的純色旗幟稱為單色旗。
Flag designers sometimes place a simple symbol rather than a complex crest in the canton.
設計國旗時，設計師有時會在旗角放置簡單的符號而非複雜的徽章。
- upper hoist
the technical heraldic term for the top-left corner of any flag or shield
- top left quarter
a plain-language alternative that avoids the technical term 'canton'
- fly end
the right side of a flag, opposite the canton
文法句型
the canton of a flag
flag with a canton
用法筆記
This is a technical term used mainly by flag enthusiasts (vexillologists) and in official flag descriptions. In everyday conversation, people say 'the top left corner of the flag' instead.