church
church — 名詞
1. a structure used by Christians for prayer, singing hymns, and holding ceremonies
教堂
基督教徒聚會禮拜的建築物
a structure used by Christians for prayer, singing hymns, and holding ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, and baptisms.
The old stone church on the hill has a bell tower that rings each Sunday.
山坡上那座古老的石造教堂有一座高大的鐘樓，每個星期日都會敲響。
article + adjective + church + location phrase
The church bells woke Yara at six every morning before school started.
教堂的鐘聲每天早上六點把 Yara 喚醒，那時候還沒到上學時間。
church bells — common sound association
Ravi helped tidy the garden in front of the village church before the Easter service.
Ravi 在復活節禮拜前幫忙整理村莊教堂前面的花園。
Kofi's wedding took place in a small church near the river.
Kofi 的婚禮在河邊一座小教堂舉行。
Visitors can go inside the church to see the stained-glass windows and the old organ.
遊客可以走進教堂，欣賞彩繪玻璃窗和古老的管風琴。
- place of worship
neutral term that works for any religion, not just Christianity
- house of God
more formal and religiously committed in tone
文法句型
the + church
a/an + adjective + church
用法筆記
To describe the building itself, use a or the before church: a wooden church, the local church. When church refers to the service inside the building, no article is used (see sense 3).
常見錯誤
2. one of the organized Christian communities that follow a shared set of beliefs a
教派
有特定信仰的基督教團體
one of the organized Christian communities that follow a shared set of beliefs and practices — for example, the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, or a local body of believers who meet in the same building.
The Catholic Church runs over a hundred thousand schools worldwide, from rural Kenya to downtown Tokyo.
天主教會在全球經營超過十萬所學校，從肯亞的鄉村到東京的市中心都有。
capitalized Church for a specific denomination + concrete scope
Pastor Rohan left one church to start a new one in the neighbouring town.
Rohan 牧師離開原屬的教會，在鄰近城鎮建立了一個新教會。
church meaning a specific congregation
Three churches in northern Kyoto share a van to deliver meals to elderly residents each week.
京都市北區的三間教會共用一台廂型車，每週為獨居長者送餐。
The Baptist Church grew rapidly in the American colonies during the 1700s.
浸信會於十八世紀在美洲殖民地迅速發展。
The elders at First Baptist Church vote each year on how to spend their building fund.
第一浸信會的長老每年投票決定如何運用教堂建築基金。
- denomination
more formal term focusing on the belief system
- congregation
specifically the local group of people who attend one church building
文法句型
the + capitalized Church (specific group)
a/an + Church
Churches (plural)
用法筆記
When referring to a specific denomination, Church is often capitalized (the Catholic Church, the Methodist Church). When referring to a local congregation as an organization, lowercase church is common and countable (three churches in the district).
常見錯誤
3. a gathering of Christians in a church building for singing, prayer, and a talk f
禮拜
在教堂舉行的宗教聚會
a gathering of Christians in a church building for singing, prayer, and a talk from a religious leader, usually on a Sunday.
The Watanabe family goes to church every Sunday morning.
渡邊一家每個星期天早上都會去教堂做禮拜。
go to church — fixed phrase without article
We saw Pastor Tomás at church last night during the evening service.
我們昨晚在教堂的晚間禮拜中見到了 Tomás 牧師。
Hana's grandmother meets her friends after church for tea and biscuits.
Hana 的祖母做完禮拜後和朋友見面，一起喝茶吃餅乾。
While Pastor Amara delivered the sermon, Noa helped the children with their craft activity in the next room.
Amara 牧師在講道時，Noa 在隔壁房間幫忙孩子們做勞作。
The Garcia family always arrives early for church to save seats near the front.
Garcia 一家總是提早到教堂做禮拜，以便坐到前排的位置。
文法句型
at church
go to church
after church
during church
before church
用法筆記
In this sense church is uncountable and takes no article: go to church, at church, after church. This distinguishes it from sense 1 (the building: go to the church) and sense 2 (the organization: belong to a church).
常見錯誤
4. the whole Christian religion considered as a single organized body with its lead
基督教會
基督教整體組織及其傳統
the whole Christian religion considered as a single organized body with its leaders, rules, and traditions, including all its members around the world.
By the 1800s, the church had built thousands of charity schools across Europe for children who could not afford tuition.
到了十九世紀，教會在歐洲各地為讀不起書的孩子興辦了數千所慈善學校。
the church as an institution with historical scope + specific program
Medieval kings often consulted bishops before declaring war, so the church held enormous political influence.
中世紀的國王在宣戰前常諮詢主教的意見，因此教會擁有極大的政治影響力。
the church + specific historical power dynamic
The church teaches that caring for orphans and widows is a central part of the Christian faith.
教會的教導是，關懷孤兒和寡婦是基督教信仰的核心。
Giotto painted a famous series of frescoes for the church in Padua during the 1300s.
Giotto 在十四世紀為帕多瓦的教會繪製了一系列著名的濕壁畫。
In many European countries today, the church no longer controls the education system as it did a hundred years ago.
如今在許多歐洲國家，教會已不再像一百年前那樣掌控教育體系。
- Christendom
historical term for the worldwide community of Christians; now less common
- the clergy
more specific — the religious leaders only, not the whole body
文法句型
the Church / the church + singular verb
the church + of + time period
用法筆記
Often capitalized as the Church when referring to the universal Christian body. When uncapitalized, context matters — the church in a historical discussion usually means the institutional Christian religion. Distinguish from sense 2 (a specific denomination) by looking at whether the sentence describes a single named group (Catholic → sense 2) or the whole Christian tradition (sense 4).
常見錯誤
church — 形容詞
1. belonging to or connected with a church building, a congregation, or Christian w
教會的
泛指與教堂建築、會眾或敬拜活動有關的
belonging to or connected with a church building, a congregation, or Christian worship in general — used before a noun.
The church choir will sing at the Christmas service this year.
教會詩班將在今年聖誕節的禮拜中獻唱。
church choir — common attributive use
Diego helps with church activities on weekends, such as cleaning and gardening.
Diego 週末會幫忙教會活動，例如打掃和整理花園。
The church roof needs major repairs after the winter storms damaged it.
冬季風暴過後，教堂屋頂需要進行大規模修繕。
Priya joined the church youth group when she was fourteen years old.
Priya 十四歲時加入了教會的青年團契。
- ecclesiastical
formal term, usually about official church structures, not everyday church activities
- congregational
more specific — about the local congregation rather than the building
文法句型
church + noun (attributive)
用法筆記
This adjective always appears before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'This activity is church.' Instead use related to / connected with church: 'This activity is connected with the church.'
2. relating to the officially recognized national church of a country, especially t
國教的
與官方國教有關的
relating to the officially recognized national church of a country, especially the Church of England; used in legal, historical, or formal discussions of church governance.
Under church law, an Anglican priest cannot marry a divorced person in a church service.
根據教會法，英國國教的牧師不能在教堂為離婚者證婚。
church law — formal legal collocation with specific example
The Church of England's status as the established church means its bishops are appointed by the monarch.
英格蘭教會作為國教教會，其主教由君主任命。
established church — specific constitutional role (monarch appoints bishops)
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest authority on church matters in the Anglican Communion.
坎特伯里大主教是聖公會在教會事務上的最高權威。
Until the 1850s, church courts in England handled all legal cases about marriage and inheritance.
直到十九世紀中葉，英格蘭的教會法庭負責審理所有婚姻與繼承相關的法律案件。
- established
when used alone: 'the established church' describes the official state church, usually the Church of England
文法句型
church + noun (formal/legal contexts)
用法筆記
Primarily used in British formal, legal, or historical contexts. In everyday conversation, the broader adjective sense (sense 1) is used instead. The established church refers specifically to the Church of England as the official state church.
church — 動詞
1. to perform an official Christian ceremony, such as a baptism, wedding, or specia
行教會禮
在教堂為某人舉行宗教儀式
to perform an official Christian ceremony, such as a baptism, wedding, or special blessing, for someone in a church building — chiefly used in historical or traditional contexts.
The priest churched the newborn baby during the Sunday service.
神父在主日禮拜中為新生嬰兒舉行了教會儀式。
active: church + person receiving the rite
In Victorian England, families would have their babies churched within a few weeks of birth.
在維多利亞時代的英國，家庭會在嬰兒出生後幾週內帶到教堂行教會禮。
passive: have + object + churched + specific historical period
The bishop churched the newly married couple in a private afternoon ceremony.
主教在一場下午的私人儀式中為新婚夫婦舉行了教會儀式。
The elderly woman asked to be churched before her final illness took hold.
那位年長的婦女請求在重病惡化前接受教會的祝福儀式。
文法句型
church + someone
用法筆記
This verb is now very rare in everyday English and is mostly found in historical texts or descriptions of traditional Christian practices. The more common modern phrasing is 'to baptize,' 'to marry,' or 'to hold a ceremony for' someone in a church.