deathbed
deathbed — 名詞
1. the actual bed where a person lies during their final illness or at the moment t
臨終床
人臨死前躺臥的床
the actual bed where a person lies during their final illness or at the moment they die
The family gathered around his deathbed to say their final goodbyes.
家人圍在他的臨終床前，做最後的告別。
possessive + deathbed; gathered around
Minh's mother never left his deathbed during his last week.
Minh 的母親在他最後一週裡從未離開他的臨終床。
A lamp beside the deathbed lit the dying woman's face as her family kept vigil.
臨終床旁的一盞小燈，在垂死婦人的臉上投下柔和的光，家人徹夜守護著。
The nurse adjusted the pillows on the deathbed to make the patient more comfortable.
護士調整了臨終床上的枕頭，讓病人更舒服一些。
- sickbed
broader term — a sickbed can be for any illness, not necessarily terminal
文法句型
[possessive] deathbed
the deathbed
用法筆記
This literal sense is uncommon in everyday speech; the word appears far more often in the figurative expression 'on one's deathbed' (see sense 2 and idiom below). When used literally, it is almost always modified by a possessive or the definite article.
常見錯誤
2. the final period of a person's life, especially the last hours or days when they
臨終
生命的最後階段
the final period of a person's life, especially the last hours or days when they are very weak and near death
On her deathbed, Meera asked to see her garden one last time.
Meera 在臨終之際要求再看一眼她的花園。
idiom: on [possessive] deathbed
The old man's deathbed confession revealed a secret he had kept for fifty years.
老人的臨終告白揭開了一個他保守五十年的秘密。
compound: deathbed confession
Théo made a deathbed promise to take care of his younger sister.
Théo 在臨終前許下承諾，要照顧好他的妹妹。
Renata softened her attitude toward her brother on his deathbed and forgave him.
Renata 在哥哥臨終之際軟化了態度，原諒了他。
The novelist wrote his final poem on his deathbed, too weak to hold a pen.
那位小說家在臨終前寫下最後一首詩，虛弱得連筆都握不住。
- final hours
neutral and descriptive; less dramatic than 'deathbed'
- end of life
clinical or formal register; used in medical contexts
- last moments
focuses on the very final minutes or seconds
文法句型
on [possessive] deathbed
deathbed + noun (compound)
用法筆記
This is overwhelmingly the more common sense. The phrase 'on one's deathbed' often signals a dramatic moment — a confession, a reconciliation, a final request. The compound forms 'deathbed confession', 'deathbed promise', and 'deathbed conversion' are particularly frequent in narratives.